How to Experience a Life of Exponential Growth.

Everyday there’s a course, program, or platform popping up with information about different subject matters that are important for us to learn. It can get overwhelming, especially if you’ve taken one of these courses and not seen the results from it. Sometimes the overwhelm might come from not knowing how to choose what to learn, or the worry of finding time to learn, or not having the financial commitment needed to learn. Sometimes, you’ll wonder if you even need to learn - after all, you know everything that you need to know about life. I hope it’s never the latter for you! There’s always something to learn, and I believe that we should always keep a learner stance. Lifelong learning is a thing!

Lifelong learning refers to the process of gaining knowledge and learning new skills throughout your life. Many people continue their education for personal development and fulfilment, while others see it as a significant step toward career advancement.

One of the things that has helped me experience exponential growth in my personal and professional life is my commitment to learning, and I believe that everyone should make it one of their top pillars. 

Today, I want to share 5 questions that I ask myself when I want to learn anything, and how this has been instrumental to my growth journey. I’m also going to share an opportunity for you to experience the same - because as they say, sharing is caring and I care about you!

1. WHAT do I want to learn? 

If you read opinion pieces, engage in conversations, or scroll through social media, you’re subconsciously exposed to ideas and knowledge. Information is readily available to us, and you don’t need to look too far in order to access that information. However, there’s a difference between passive and active learning. I think that all forms of learning are good, but there’s actually a way to learn. I’ll share my thoughts on this in a later part of this letter. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you had all the time in the world to learn all the things that you’re interested in? You could learn to draw, speak Japanese, trade crypto, code, flip houses, play guitar, make films, all at the same time! Wouldn't that be cool? It would be…except that - you don’t have all that time! So, instead of romanticising learning and keeping it on your “to do,” list without actually doing anything about it, I think it’s important to only learn what you CAN and WILL practice. If you don’t intend to use it, don’t bother. I love to learn skill sets - they’re important, but I’m a sucker for transformational learning. Throughout my life, I’ve pushed myself to deep dive into ideas, principles, and knowledge that I can learn and APPLY. I don’t want to just pick up stuff for the sake of it. I want to actively learn things that I can apply and see results with. This leads me to the most important part of learning which is your WHY. 

2. WHY do I want to learn? 

Before I pursue any form of education, I always ask myself WHY it’s important for me to do this. Am I taking the course because I’ve heard others talk about it? Am I enrolling in a program because I want to make myself feel better about the fact that I’m “learning?” I ask myself the same questions before I decide to purchase a book - what’s the point? Do I just want to have it in my library? Am I really going to read it? Am I buying it because I’ve heard that other entrepreneurs have it in their library? These are questions that force you out of your unconscious motives, and into conscious decision making. At the core of my learning objectives is GROWTH. Ultimately, I want to experience growth across my life’s pillars. I want to learn more about relationships, finances, romance, health, spirituality, my body, etc. Growth can be uncomfortable. Sometimes you’ll find yourself leaning towards learning in a particular aspect of your life, and hiding from other aspects because they’re not right up your alley. I know this so well! I used to be great at learning about relationships, personal development, etc., but horrible at learning about finances. It just seemed too complex, and I didn’t have the patience to sit through learning about mutual funds, stocks, crypto, etc. It was easier to stay ignorant, but hard to pay the price for my ignorance. Yup…ignorance has a price! I can proudly say that I've actively been on a financial education journey and that it’s paying off in so many ways for me. It took several personal challenges to get me to this point, but I was able to clarify WHY I needed to learn this. I was also able to tie it into my life’s mission. I want to enjoy my life on this earth, I want to give, I want to invest and support other missions that I find valuable, I want to create etc., and all of this requires financial freedom! So before you jump into any new program, ask yourself WHY DO I WANT TO LEARN ? 

3. HOW should I learn? 

There are many ways to learn, and you may already have your personal style of learning that works for you, or you might need some help. Personally, I learn for application and transformation purposes. I want to take in information, experiment with it, and experience it. Whenever I enroll in a program or course, I take the information and apply it to something that I’m currently working on, or something that a friend of mine is working on. While most of these programs usually have a flow of how the information should be consumed, I’ve had to find what works for me. Sometimes I’ll take one concept/idea, and spend time reading about it outside of the course. I’ll pursue it in such a way that it intrigues me enough to deep-dive further into it. This is also a great way to trick your brain into believing that this information is key for your survival - and we know how the brain loves to chase anything that it believes is key to its survival! I’ll bring up these concepts in conversations that I have with others, and discuss them in detail, while asking others about their opinion on the subject matter (because it’s great to hear varying ideas too)! Learning shouldn’t be something that is so rigid, and boring where you feel forced to do it. Learning should be fun, joyful, and engaging! The more you get in your own rhythm with it, the more value you get back from doing it. 

4. From WHOM should I learn? 

I think that everyone has something that they can teach us. But when it comes to certain subject matter, I prefer to learn from people who are living examples of the experiences and life that I want to have. If someone is teaching about transformation, I want to see that transformation in their life. It doesn’t need to be perfect, because no one has achieved 100% mastery of anything. However, I love to learn from people whose lives are a reflection of what they teach! I also love to learn from people who are engaging, and genuinely care about the people they’re teaching. What you care about might be different, but the question is, do you even know how to choose whom to learn from? Are you intentional about this? You should be! It makes a world of difference in how you assimilate information and your eagerness to practice what you’re learning. Find someone that truly embodies what’s important to you, and learn from them - it doesn’t matter if they’re your peer, or even younger than you. A lot of people only look out for older, seasoned individuals to learn from. If this is you, I think that you’re missing out on so much transformational content that could totally change your life!

5. WHEN should I learn? 

It’s easy to focus on the what, why, who, how, and forget that it’s also important to know WHEN to learn. Even as you decide what program to enroll in, you have to understand what season you’re in - what chapter in your life this is, and what is going to be a great springboard to either serve as a foundation for what you need right now, or serve as a catapult to your next level. Do you even have the mind space for conscious learning right now? Are you able to commit the time and energy required to truly make it count for you? These things are important. Understand times and seasons.

Learning isn’t just some activity to tick off your list. Lifelong learning is a necessity. I can testify to how much exponential growth I’ve experienced over the years, simply by exposing myself to ideology, knowledge, and experiences that moved me to action things that I never thought that I was capable of. I’ve also found that even where I knew some of these things before, simply hearing them in a different way from a different person, totally increased my excitement to put them into action. 

I hope this helps you become a conscious learner as you journey through life. 

On this note, I would like to introduce my newest baby to you: Switch On Academy.

Learn more about the academy here. 

This month, we’re running a program called Switch On Mentorship. It’s an opportunity to join me on a 6 week transformational journey - a program that will help you design your life in such a way that allows you to not only live, but THRIVE in this world.

Here’s a link to the program details - it starts February 27th! We have an early bird registration (with discounted pricing), but it ends on February 10th, so be sure to register this week!

If you’d like to learn more, you can follow us on Instagram @switchonacademy, or send any enquiries to hello@switchonacademy.com

Get a friend to join in too! I can’t wait to work with you!

x

Adaora ‘Lumina’ Mbelu