Keep Learning, Even When You Think You Know It All

One of the biggest lessons I learned from my parents is to never stop questioning. They took it another step and tried their best to instill a love of learning into us. Even if it is a random fact, a new language, or a new skill that we may never need- everything is worth learning about. We were always encouraged to take a different kind of class, sign up for a workshop, or learn something different at camp.

This especially included anything that we could be certified in. Because of this encouragement, I was certified in CPR, took a lifeguard class, had a boating license, and even took a flower arranging class before I was out of the 9^th grade. Let’s not forget the fencing (with a saber) course, photography, mechanics, and even a course on how cults function. The options were endless. I can play a song on 6 instruments. I’m not trying to brag- I mention this because none of this has ever hurt me- only ever broadened my horizons. It started when was a toddler and I still make it a personal goal of mine to learn something new every day.

Even now, they encourage things like this. If I mention something I am interested in, dad says “you’re already learning about it- go ahead and get certified, you might need it one day and it can only make your resume look better. No one has ever been hurt by too much education.” Most things these days involve IT and he looks it up to see what I’m talking about. We have SPOTO IT for that! With SPOTO, you can get courses, tutors, and certifications. It is like an all in one shop.

As far as my own children go, I encourage them to learn something new every day and to read books outside of their usual interest categories. My daughter is really good with numbers and my son is all about science and computers. He wants to be a “paleontologist and do something with computers.” She wants to be a doctor so she can help other kids like her.

Because my children are homeschooled, I’m always looking for ways to not only improve their resumes for college (even though that’s a while off) but for after and for in case they decide college is not their future. I want them to be successful, by their vision of success, but I am responsible for setting them up for success. I will encourage them to get certifications and courses as soon as they are old enough, but for now, I am encouraging their love of learning.

I also want them to understand that even when you are in your "ideal" career, you should never stop improving and learning new things to help with your job. If you are a project management professional, for example, there is no end to the certifications. 

Another way I am going to do this is by leading by example. As they are able to do more independent school work, I’ll start taking courses and doing the things I want them to do. I’ll start with a trip to SPOTO! I may even start with a PMP certification online. I'm very organized and I have always been in trigued with project management. I can get some project management professional exam prep. 

I want to leave this post with a final encouragement. Never stop learning, dreaming, or reaching. Honey, reach for the moon- even if you fail, you'll land among the stars. Or, as my mama used to say- "if your dreams don't scare you, you aren't dreaming big enouch."