Life-long Learning is NOW

Hi Friends

Each day for 7 days I are looking at a new habit and would encourage you to follow each for a next month so that they become regular habits from then onwards. In 7 weeks we will have 7 new daily habits that may completely change our lives in a positive way, making us better at work, socially and at home. Each habit is simple and within the limits of everybody.

Today’s habit is learn something new every day. It might be something small or a new course that will be life changing. It’s up to you.

Life is a learning experience. We used to talk about a job for life but that is changed and re-training is a theme today. Many people are changing their job every few years because they are on short term contracts, short term projects, they are made redundant or are looking for promotion. And for these people it’s usually essential to be on a learning roller-coaster. But that roller-coaster isn’t a steady ride and that’s what I want to tell you about here. Another group of people need to undertake annual training to keep their professional status.

And that’s what you should be doing to keep your place in life.

In fact we talk about learning for life. Do you feel you know everything you need to know? Everything to get along? That you don’t need to bother with any more learning?

Maybe there’s a physical skill you want to learn like photography or painting, gardening or driving. Perhaps you feel inadequate in a life skill like being able to talk in public, feel confident, be able to manage others, or be a better team member.

So why not sit down and list out 5 things you’d like to learn about and why. Now put them into an order and think about the subject at the top of the list. Now what can you do to learn about this?

Maybe you should get a book from the library or buy a book. They say that only 2 books in every 100 that is bought are actually read. Some of the rest are started but some aren’t even opened. That is very sad. They also say that if you spend just one hour a day reading about anything, then you will become an expert in 12 weeks. By expert we mean that you know much more than the average person. 

You might learn by looking up the information on the internet and either finding articles or videos. This is a common way to learn and there are free and paid curses that will help too. A course is so much better than random videos or articles because they are structures and complete.

You might join a local night school or day classes. If you are particularly enthusiastic you might even sign up on an Open University home study degree course. Wouldn’t it be exciting to tell your family and friends that you’ve just been awarded a degree.

Learning something new will keep your mind active, make you a more interesting person for others, and widen your knowledge. It might give you skills that will have other advantages. If you learn skills like decorating, car mechanics, gardening or plumbing then you could save yourself money at home, or even turn it into a send income or teach others. Just remember we can all learn, all the time and we will benefit. If you learn one small thing every day you can only benefit.

Remember if you are unwilling to learn, no one can help you, but if you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. Make today the first day of a new learning plan.

And make this your new habit that you will use every day from now.

Good luck with your new habit. Please try and learn something every day.

Actions Speak louder . . .

Hi Guys

Taking Action is the seed for everything. For without action there is no future.

 Take a look at this very short video I made in January, last month. Not raining for a change but was it windy. But I had to do it. If you put off actions because of circumstances you'll never get anything done.

So coughing liked an old man (ok no jokes please!) I set off for the beach. Wrapped up warm I was still cold as the wind shook me. I felt that although the wind was spoiling the true sound, it was important to carry on. And in fact I think the wind adds a new dimension, and you can hear me clearly.
We all need to dream but then we must turn that seed of a dream into reality. Just think about seeds for one moment. I used to grow vegetables in my garden and greenhouse and kept back some seeds each year. Now most seeds are better bought because they are cultivated by the seed suppliers to be genetically good to succeed. Sometimes you take your own seeds from your produce and they turn out to be bad and either don't grow at all or are disfigured. In the end the only seeds I kept were from my runner beans and the originals had been given to me by an elderly neighbor who, in turn, had been given them by her neighbor many years previously. And every year they grew consistently good. Every year they gave a bumper crop of delicious beans. So many in fact that we gave many away to friends and neighbors and still had enough for our daily needs plus sufficient to freeze and give us many more meals. By the way there are two points here. First, be kind and generous to friends and neighbours, secondly without me taking action every year we would not have had delicious beans freshly grown. I used to pick them, top and tail them and then straight into a pan of boiling water. Minutes later drained, butter added and onto the plate. 

I read last week that over half of the population spend more than an hour a day think about their future and dreaming about what they want. And many of these dreams can be turned into reality by just taking the first step. OK! So its going to be a struggle to be an astronaut if you haven't had a reasonable education including (probably science) and a university degree. You can't fly without wings. But . . you could start looking for your dream job. You could take a course in something you are interested in, you could take driving lessons, take a second job and start saving for that new house or holiday or car. 

If you really want it you can do it. Remember! There's no gain without pain. Most times it is uncomfortable starting to work towards your dream. But try to forget that pain and just do it.

And when you start leave a comment here. I really want to know what you are doing.

Watch your Manners. Learn with us - here

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Hi Guys

My new course "Manners maketh Man & Woman" is now completed and available. As a special introduction to this and my other courses I am offering it free for 2 days only. This offer will finish on Thursday 4th February at midnight GMT.
 

To get immediate free enrollment copy and paste this link http://tinyurl.com/zzweqzn   Please share this link whilst it lasts.

All my courses include lifelong access so that you get all future updates and additional content. All these courses are being continually updated: for example I have just added 5 new videos to "The Complete Guide for Overseas Students in the UK" covering how to get a part-time job during studying and full-time job when graduated, plus new videos on English manners. 

There is a huge market for online courses and I am very pleased to hear from you if you would like to create a course to go on my site. I can give you all the help you need to produce this and you'll not necessarily have to appear

yourself. There are alternatives such as Powerpoint presentations, animation, using an actor (through a low cost agency) and more. I can show you how to set up a home studio in a small space such as a bedroom or living room, enhance the audio, edit video and much more. Interested? Leave a comment or e-mail me personally at ask@mikeleahy.comask@mikeleahy.com

Not only will you be sharing information and helping others but you'll make some spare cash too. This is a great opportunity. You probably have a skill or knowledge that you haven't thought about. Maybe you are a keen gardener, cook, keep fish, have a second language, have coding knowledge, photographer, are a good dresser or can do brilliant make-up. Maybe you want to create a religious course, meditation, losing weight or keeping fit. One course I saw was a man training in his living room. He started making video when he started his workouts. It was remarkable how he did turn from a weak frame to muscular and because the course followed his progress it was seen as genuine and sold well.

And you don't have to be a genius. So long as you know more than the average person about your subject then you can create a course. I'm happy to work on joint ventures too, so if you have the knowledge we can work together if you wish.

Many people say that they can find everything fee online, and yes you can. But courses are better because everything is together and there is a 30 day full money back guarantee on all courses on my site so you can depend on the tutor as being reliable and good. Courses are usually inclusive, by which I mean that you have everything in one place. 

It doesn't have to be a paid course. Some people like to just share their interest and run free courses. That's fine with me. The Learning Centre is a general resource that is growing.  

So to recap
Enrol in my manners course for free CLICK HERE 
If you want to create your own course contact me.



Have a great life. Watch this space. Please follow me.

Be an educator
Be a learner
Get the knowledge

Is a university degree worthwhile?

Having a university degree seems important today, with a high intake recently. Although I'm not totally convinced. 

I see so many graduates who have their degree but are working in low paid jobs that probably don't lead anywhere. Graduates that are working in shops or cafes when they have a good degree in law, marketing or geology. And although universities train students to think and create this is only happening with a minority. Sure we all know graduates who are doctors, lawyers, teachers and nurses, and who are successful and settled in a career. But these are a minority.

I personally feel that the old system of layered education was far better. There was a place for all. Universities for the brightest, colleges for the majority who wanted to learn skills over a shorter period and to a lower standard, and apprenticeships for those wanting to specialise in manual skills such as mechanics, plumbers, electricians and brickies. Ok. So there are some apprentices around and colleges too, but not enough of the former and not enough discipline in the latter. By discipline I mean ensuring students attend, behave in a socially acceptable manner and learn. I've been in colleges recently where this just isn't happening. I gave a course on entrepreneurship a couple of years ago in a college and only 7 out of 23 students bothered to turn up. Two were totally disinterested and one fell asleep. Now I'm not a trained teacher but I do put my message through with enthusiasm and was surprised. The tutor told me that this was common, and incidentally they left a year later.

We are now in a world of insecurity with jobs, and the need to change. So life-long learning is really important from a jobs perspective. Learning new life skills can open up  big opportunities for anyone who continues to learn.

Now it's true that you can learn anything on YouTube for free. But online courses offer so much more. Firstly they offer a comprehensive course in one place, then they are structured so that you learn through a system, usually tutors/lecturers are available to talk over particular issues but there is usually a a discussion board so that both students and lecturer can cover points in depth. And you can learn anytime, anywhere where you have an internet connection, and any topic. 

That knowledge you gain can help you at work but also throughout your life. And if you have some knowledge about a specific topic you might even become a lecturer with your own courses. It's not difficult. 

Meanwhile watch out for more