Teach To Learn
Learning new information is one of the cornerstones of personal growth and development. For those who pursue the challenge of becoming the best version of themselves, they understand the value and importance of having mentors to teach them the things they don’t know. A mentor will bring new information and philosophies that help guide an eager learner through growth. Successful people continue learning and growing even when things are going good in their lives. They are constantly hungry for more growth. On the other hand, unsuccessful people allow themselves to get comfortable where they are so they don’t seek more information. With all the things we can learn, it is important to understand that simply attending events, listening to audios, watching videos, and reading books is not enough to facilitate true growth. What we have to do in order to grow is to take new information and put it into use immediately. One of the quickest ways of doing this might be to take new information and begin teaching it.
Can you teach it?
I believe one of the quickest ways to learn something new is to learn as if you have to teach it. Learning new information as if you will have to teach it not only serves the purpose of increasing your own knowledge, but it will put you in a different frame of mind while learning. Mentally, if you assume a responsibility that you have to teach the information you’re learning, you can learn and retain it better. Knowing that you have to teach the information to someone else will inspire you to pass on what you learned in the most accurate way possible. Along with that, the best way to know if you truly understand a concept is to try and teach it to someone. Teaching something calls for complete understanding of a concept, not to just know it “well enough” or “hopefully” understand it. Keep a notebook or a journal to document your information so you can reference it later, but also begin to think of how you can teach this information to others in an effective way. Your ideas can never be more effective than your ability to explain them to others so they also comprehend them.
Add value to others
Teach what you have learned and add value not only to yourself but also to others. The greatest thought leaders all borrow from each other; I believe Pablo Picasso said, “good artists copy, great artists steal”. For example, perhaps one of the greatest teachers of leadership, John C. Maxwell, often includes direct quotes from other people in his books. He has applied known success principles to his own life and taught the same principles in his own way. Tai Lopez has created an entire system of mentorship from information he learned through reading books (among other things) and teaching the principles. Instead of keeping information to yourself, spread it to others as a way to grow yourself while helping them grow as well. This allows you to add value to other people’s lives and be a part of their journey as well. With enough learning and practice, this can even help you to become a great trainer and mentor for your organization.
