Seven Success Strategies: Part 6: Always Be Learning
"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." ~Abraham Lincoln
This article is the sixth in a series called "7 Strategies of Successful Women Lawyers." With all of the powerful strategies and techniques that successful women lawyers employ, I am revealing the top seven ways I have seen successful women lawyers create and enjoy their own "real success.
This success strategy is "Always Be Learning."
It is true that the most successful people in society are also the most voracious learners. When you visit the home of a fantastically wealthy person, chances are very, very good that you will find a well-stocked personal library, full of materials not only on business, but also many kinds of personal development, such as physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Personally, I have an addiction to books. I love them. I cannot stop buying them, reading them, and checking them out from the library. My personal library grows almost daily, and rather than rid myself of books, I simply invest in new bookshelves. In addition to my personal collection, my law firm is stocked with a huge collection of books related to my legal profession.
What about you? What are you feeding your mind? Any kind of information that you seek is available to you via books, recordings, or the internet. Need to learn more about marketing? Hundreds of marketing books await you. Feeling like you have let yourself go physically? There are countless books and resources on physical fitness. Anything and everything you wish to learn about is available to you, oftentimes absolutely free.
Even though the wealth of the world in terms of information, guidance, and advice on practically any topic is available, most people never take the time or make the investment to learn new skills. Most people are content to stay right where they are, not developing, not growing, not becoming more than they were yesterday. Most successful business people and others have autobiographies or biographies written about them. You do not even need to know these people personally-just pick up a book about them to learn their secrets to success. A successful woman lawyer always keeps herself current with the information in her own field of expertise.
Just browse the library or a bookstore, and you can see how many books are sitting on the shelves, waiting for you to pick it up. If you are not sure what book is best, go online and read book reviews that everyday people are writing, not the ones that come from the publisher. You will get feedback that is much more realistic from the gal at the salon than some canned, upbeat sales tactic.
There are materials available to you on any skill you want to possess and any attribute you wish to acquire. But you must take the time to read and learn and apply the wisdom you receive. In other words, I do not just pick up new skills to enrich my life and career; I make it a point to impart my knowledge to other people at the consulting sessions with the hope that they can enrich their lives by following my footsteps.
The most successful people I know never ever stop learning. They are on a constant quest to become more, to learn more, to perfect their craft and skills, and to improve themselves personally. So always be learning. In this day and age, there is no excuse for allowing yourself to remain ignorant on a topic that would bring you growth. Stop making excuses, get a library card, and get learning!
TODAY: What are you feeding your mind? Are you learning new skills that will improve you financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and in your practice? If not, why not? Pick a topic that you want to learn more about and then get to a library or bookstore to get the resources you need to improve yourself. There is no time like the present to grow your mind, your intellect, and yourself!