7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

The video 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners gave me a lot to think about. for this exercise, we are supposed to pick out the easiest and hardest habits for ourselves. However, I think there are other lifelong learning habits that aren't on this list that I need to think about.

As far as the list goes, I think the easiest habit for me is either Habit 4 (Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner) or Habit 7 (Teach/Mentor others). I really can't decide between the two of them. Habit 4 is easy for me because I have always loved learning, and I am good at it. I feel like there is little I can't learn if I really put my mind to it. That is part of the reason I love working for the library--anything I could ever want to learn about is here somewhere, whether it is in a book or on the web. Habit 7 is also easy for me because I love to teach people what I know. I am a basic source trainer, which allows me to share some of my knowledge and insights with other staff. I also love showing customers how our website works and how they can find information for themselves.

The hardest habit for me is probably Habit 1 (Begin with the end in mind). Because I love to learn things, I often have multiple projects on my plate at the same time. It is hard to set goals and track progress, because I often don't have a specific goal in mind. I often learn enough about something to satisfy my curiosity about it--but then I drop what I was working on because I found something else that I want to learn about. Consequently, I have an awful lot of half-done projects around my house.

For me, though, there are other learning habits not addressed here that I think are just as important. Curiosity is one of the most important characteristics that life-long learners have. If you are not curious, you won't be motivated to learn. You might be able to memorize how to do something, but if you are not curious about it yourself, it won't stick with you after you are finished with the activity. Lifelong learners learn about things that are interesting to themselves, without worrying if someone else is interested in the same thing that they are.