How to learn MORE, --- FASTER!

To learn quickly, you first must open yourself up to the learning process. You cannot be reluctant!

You must begin to consider yourself a person who is knowledgeable in this area. This will cause you to perk up and listen every time you hear or read something related to YOUR topic.

Immerse yourself in the information:

1) Watch documentaries: take notes.

2) Read and subscribe to thought leaders’ articles and blogs: Always copy the text to a document and highlight important information.

3) Attend seminars: especially those where more than one person will be speaking on the same topic.

4) Read posts: copy and paste them to a word document and save them to your file on the topic.

5) Research websites: do the same as above (copy and paste to a word document). Read them more than once. Record yourself reading the topic.

6) listen to radio shows, audios, and podcasts: Have a pen and paper in hand to take notes. Again, keep for the file.

Physically print out all material: web content, articles, and blogs. While reading the printed information highlight the salient points (do research on the highlighted points). This simply means, google these terms and points to get multiple points of view on the same topic. Highlight words and terms you don’t understand by looking up the definitions. Create your own glossary of terms for your file:

Purchase 3-5 physical books and the accompanying audio books for each physical book. This is you jumping into the topic and forcing the issue. I did not say purchase one book! Take a BOLD step. If you are a thrifty minded person or just don’t take large steps like this, even more reason to take this inordinate step!

Don’t read ANYTHING without a highlighter in your hand and a pen and note pad next to you.

Continuously work to become a student of your topic or industry. This is a mindset! You will become an expert!

When reading, highlight no more than two points per page when reading the physical book. Take notes, take notes!

All these strategies are like deeply scribing the information into your memory. The more physical actions you take related to the material (physical engagement) the more quickly you will internalize the material.

Something magical happens when you physically take handwritten notes. It’s not about the fact that you do or do not enjoy taking notes. Or, that you like taking notes on your computer better. It’s not about being more efficient by typing notes rather than physically writing notes to avoid a step. It’s about LEARNING the material backwards and forwards!

After reading, highlighting, and taking notes on the physical book, purchase the audio-book and listen to it no less than 10 times. I mean start to finish! Keep track of how many times you have done this. You want the concepts to become second nature. You want to memorize the words/contents like you memorize the words to a favorite song.

Very few people will do this! The superstars will!

You need to internalize the information, so it becomes knowledge used to vet every decision relate-able in your business and personal life.

I don’t have time to listen to audio books!

Every time you are doing mundane tasks such as:

1) Cooking

2) Cleaning, housework

3) Mowing the lawn and doing yard-work

4) Driving

You are listening and learning your topic!

It’s amazing! When you hear the words expressed in the audio book you can literally visualize the physical book in your mind and the words you highlighted from the physical book each page as you hear them spoken.

Whenever you hear or read formulas discussed, mathematical or otherwise:

Write them down and work the problem through its conclusion. If necessary, do this multiple times it will help you fully understand the result and concept. This helps solidify the formula and concept in your mind. It is not enough to simply know or understand the formula, it is vastly more important to physically write down the formula and see the outcome developed through doing the math, this is critical!

Never, EVER go to a meeting without a notepad.

Make use of the notepad!

I’m not talking about a couple lines of scribbles on an entire a page!!! I’m talking about multiple pages of notes through the course of a one-hour or longer meeting.

The notes should be taken in such a way that someone who wasn’t at the meeting will know and understand the points you’re making, leave nothing out. If you don’t do this, you may not understand your own notes.

If you are not a note-taker, you become one today! Do not concern yourself with the legibility, Spelling, or grammar, of your notes. These are your notes after all and if you can read and understand them that’s all that matters.

Having said this, as a concept you should strive to make them good enough that someone else can read and understand them.

Regardless, don’t allow legibility, Spelling, or grammar, to deter you from taking notes. If you want to take knowledge and understanding to the next level, this is how you do it. Doing so will further internalize the information. When you arrive back to your home or office convert the handwritten notes to text. This can be done by reading your handwritten notes with voice to text (on your phone) and then copying it into an email which you will convert to a document on your computer.

Once you do this, you will review and fix the spelling and grammar and save it as a document for your file. If you want to absorb the information more fully type the document from your handwritten notes. Remember, these actions are not more time consuming but rather how you learn.

If you’re pressed for time or just lazy, take a photograph of your notes with your phone and save it as a document to the topical file on your computer.

Again, I’ll say you must internalize the information, so it becomes a part of your working knowledge. Meaning, it will be used to make decisions in your personal life and business life. Not just simply an interesting nugget that you found.

Teach the information:

Get paid to learn! I have discussed this many times.

Teaching classes forces you to learn at an accelerated pace for fear of failure. If the fear of not knowing something in front of a large group of people doesn’t scare you, nothing will.

This happens every time you develop and start teaching a new class! This forces you to become knowledgeable and attain expert status in a fraction of the time it would normally take. You are constantly pushing yourself.

Pay close attention and take notes when you’re fortunate enough to listen to the experts debate and argue with one another. This will give you a high-level understanding of the most critical points. This happens in class constantly! I do this very thing when I am instructing continuing education classes for the professionals I teach, attorneys, CPA’s, certified financial planners, etc.

Most of you know I do my radio show each week, Cover Your Assets heard on ESPN/1500 am radio every Saturday morning. You can also go to the Podcasts: https://www.skornorth.com/shows/cover-your-assets/ ) Where I interview local and national business owners and thought leaders. I talk to them in preparation leading up to the show, during the actual show and in between during the breaks, and after the show. I then often write a post and highlight the topics covered in the show for social media. This means that I am constantly learning (cutting-edge) updated information from the experts. What would I have to pay to get this information if I were attending their classes or if I were paying them to be a client? Would I learn as much as a student or a client as the process I just described? More importantly, would I internalize the information in the same way if I did not know I would have to talk about it live on the air and use my own words to write about it? What do you think…?

Become recognized as a thought leader. Write articles, write blogs, communicate with other thought leaders, Do interviews. This is a big one: Look for every chance you get to speak and debate on the subject. This includes friends and family members, be careful with coworkers. Depending on the topic, this can be dangerous!

Again, fear of failure is the greatest motivator causing you to learn at an accelerated pace! You ongoingly MUST put yourself in compromised positions where you could look like a colossal idiot in front of other people or large groups of people. This will force you to learn!

Don’t worry that other people will use these strategies, they won’t! In general, the majority of people are too lazy to follow through with anything! Have great confidence in that!

Remember knowledge and good information is only useful if you use it! Besides, we love competition! It makes us better. Be a warrior!

Drop yourself into the situations that bring you to your desired result, force yourself to grow.

Picture jumping out of an airplane into a war zone and being forced to fight for your life. Most people won’t fight unless they must, so drop yourself into the fight.

You are capable of so much more than you think! If you know your tenuous, use psychology on yourself and impose yourself into situations where you must perform!

Stop being afraid!

I grow so tired of hearing people say I can’t!

I can’t, simply means, I won’t!

From now on, every time you hear someone say, I can’t!

Say to yourself…

I can’t…. means I won’t! (your going to hate me for this)

I am not interested in hearing about what can’t be done.

I am only interested in what can be done!

My youngest son Aaron was born with cerebral palsy.

He is a warrior in life!

Don’t think he and I haven’t exercised these concepts to the max!

Inspiration is a great thing, but inspiration is not enough. Motivation is fabulous, but motivation is not enough.

You must have a step by step map plotted out to apply that motivation and inspiration to your desired goal. Otherwise you are all excited with no where to go and nowhere to apply that energy.

Never forget, motivation follows the action. Not the other way around. Having a cookie cutter plan is the start.

You must have the audacity to push forward!

Once you begin, that’s when you get motivated!

Knowledge and expert status begin’s with a belief that you WILL become that which you desire.

Once you program and create the EXPECTATION, there’s no turning back, perfect! Everything becomes easy after that!

Hope is NOT a strategy!

Use these tools and concepts, To learn more....FASTER!

Your can hear the podcast by going the link below and listening to the show from 2/8/2020:

We are Financial & Business Coaches. We offer consulting services for all manner of financial goals. I hope you will listen to my radio show and Podcasts (Cover Your Assets) and visit our page and consider retaining our services in the pursuit of your objectives.

Very sincerely,

Todd A Rooker