Education vs Learning

I recently heard Julien LeBlanc, North American President of BluePrint Management Consulting say, “Education is done for you, but learning is something you do for yourself.”

We all know that continuous learning is essential, but what are we doing about it?

Is it enough to say I’m learning on the job? I’m learning as I go? I’m learning from my mistakes?

It takes the intentional commitment to learning and improving that allows leaders to succeed. For anyone to achieve above average results, they must be avid learners.

As a Canadian university student, I recall paying approximately $7000 a year for my education. I found my university degree to be very intellectually stimulating and loved the time I spent at Carleton University. Yet, I found that many friends that finished university and took on full-time jobs didn’t engage in self-learning. They relied on the training provided by their place of employment to be enough.

When I graduated from university, I made a promise to myself that I would continue to invest the same amount of money I did in self-learning every year for the rest of my life.

To this day, I spend at least $7000 a year in self-education from attending conferences, seminars, online courses, books or hiring coaches to help me achieve that next level.

I was able to afford to invest in myself when I was a broke-ass student, why would I pretend that I can’t afford it now?

We can afford it when we stop looking at self-education as a cost, but an investment in out future selves.

Are you where you want to be? If the answer is no, then what are you doing to bridge your performance gap?