Invest In The Bank Of Knowledge

“Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul“

Will Durant

Often, when people think of successful business people, they think they are successful because they work hard and they work a lot. Working hard can only get you this far. The long-term goal is to work smart and that comes from knowledge. And knowledge comes from learning, reading, and thinking.

Oprah Winfrey has said that books gave her the power to see possibilities beyond what was allowed at the time. Frederic Douglass has said: “Once you learn to read you will be forever free”

Great minds make it a goal to read as much as possible, even taking courses for speed reading to increase the number of books they can go through in a year. Bill Gates is known to read 50 books a year. Tony Robbins took on 700 books in 7 years. That’s 1-2 books per week! But it’s also the key to getting smarter because knowledge accumulates like compound interest if you are consistent in your reading habits.

Learning has never been easier than now with dozens of apps, online courses, and e-books just one click away, ready on demand. Yet, many choose scrolling through newsfeeds and social media instead and don’t invest time into growing their bank of knowledge. Sometimes you choose mindless scrolling and binge-watching Netflix instead of learning because you haven’t got a clue what you should be learning. Learning a skill and reading with thought takes effort, firstly the effort of deciding what it should be and why.

Align the skills with long-term goals and dreams

  • What skills could help you closer to your goal?
  • Which personality traits in you are the weakest?
  • What kind of knowledge would bring you the most joy?
  • What is the one thing you have always dreamed of knowing how to do?

Based on those answers choose the thing you want to master or just learn more about. Learning is a skill on its own, so it might be a good idea to start with bite-sized knowledge instead of committing to focusing on something for the next 5 years. Form a simple, manageable plan that’s easy to act on without overwhelming yourself. It can be reading some books, taking a course, or finding support from someone who is a master at it. After completing a lesson, revise your experience, and give it an honest evaluation.

  • What can I take from this lesson?
  • Is the subject something you want to learn more about?
  • Can that benefit you on your personal journey?
  • Does it excite and inspire you?
  • Could it lead you to new exciting possibilities you weren’t aware of before?

If you can take one new idea from a course, a workshop, or a book, you have won. If not, you have gained an insight into the subject in relation to you and your life and it will help to guide your decisions in the future. The magic of learning comes from revising what you have learned over time. Try to see connections between knowledge from different sources, how they support each other, and expand a theory or a strategy developing in your head. It’s a good habit to take notes and go over them every now and then to combine them together.