Love To Learn: A Leader’s Guide To Staying Curious

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When I was younger, I wasn’t always the best student. But in my late teens, I picked up a reading habit (thanks to hearty encouragement from my parents) that has served me well. Reading, listening to podcasts and being constantly curious have become the foundation for my pursuit of lifelong learning – a journey I enjoy and act on every day as part of my growth mindset approach to life and business. I believe it’s one of the reasons I’ve grown so much in my career over the past 30 years.

Of course, it’s one thing to enjoy reading and understand the value of lifelong learning, but it’s another to find the time to build a habit and apply the learnings. Here’s how I’ve evolved my learning efforts – and you can, too.?

Learn from everyone and everything

I’m always learning, whether it’s from Amway’s micro-entrepreneurs, from my conversations with Uber drivers, or from listening to and learning from thought leaders in generative AI, geopolitics or founders and CEOs from across industries.

Every day I am up by 6 am. In addition to making time for fitness, I scan through a variety of publications every morning while I drink my chai or coffee; my favorites include the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bangkok Post, Nikkei Asia, Harvard Business Review and the Economist.?

But I also really love to dig into a good book. When I build my annual reading list, I base it on strong recommendations (and I, in turn, share mine), to ensure I am making the most of my time. I look to Bill Gates’ reading list for inspiration, and cross-reference it against a few other book lists like the Financial Times. Lately I’ve focused on choosing books about total wellness and gut health, but I also like to read about entrepreneurship and technology, and I’ve added generative AI to my list this year, too.?

Find small pockets of time wherever you can

I recently added podcasts into my routine when I realized that some of my audio time (especially during my morning workout) could be put to better use. So I paused my ‘80s music and Bollywood playlists and replaced them with podcasts – starting with David Rubenstein, Dr Peter Attia and The Tim Ferriss Show. I branched out from there by following some of their most interesting guests and now I’ve got about 15 podcasts I cycle through as I work out. And I’ve learned so much!

But let’s face it, life is busy for all of us, and fitting in time for yet another book or podcast can sometimes seem impossible. I’ve found that making the most of small chunks of time – workouts, flights, or enduring a long commute – is a great way to get some learning in. In fact, I never travel without an eBook – particularly on long-hauls overseas!

Of course, we all have the same 24 hours in a day, but finding small time pockets is possible – even when your schedule is packed.?

Share your learnings and bring them to life

At times I re-read a book or go back to a podcast to process and distill my thoughts. I’ll often scribble notes in the margins of my books, and color in inspiring passages in an eBook I want to return to. Reviewing is essential to retaining information, and so I return again and again to the books that inspire me the most. I also work to synthesize my learnings into succinct thoughts and actionable applications I can try out at work, discuss with others and incorporate into my daily routines.?

For example, some of my most impactful micro habits have resulted from one of my favorite books – Atomic Habits by James Clear. And my recent journey to learn more about gut health has me eating a plant-based diet, which is also thanks to the teams at Amway, who are using innovative methods to combine the power of plants and phytonutrients with the best science on microbiome and gut health.

As much as I have enjoyed the last three decades of my learning journey, I am excitedly anticipating the journey to 2050. I truly believe the best years of growth, learning and impact are ahead of us all. And I encourage everyone to embark on their own journey of lifelong learning, and to embrace the joy of discovering the power of knowledge, and the endless possibilities it can unlock.

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