We continue to learn forever...

No matter how long you’ve been in your business, you can never stop learning from others. You just have to be open to new experiences, conversations with new people and know that every day presents an opportunity for growth if you’re looking for it. I know I’m learning more from the people around me all the time. From every interaction, every challenge and every success — because I’m always open to it and I start my day with a positive attitude and an open mind.

Knowledge is power, and the more we know, the closer we are to achieving those big career or life goals. I truly believe that everyone can have their own success story. But you’ve got to love what you do, or find ways to love the role you’re in. Once you have the right mindset, anything is possible and you’ll see those milestones start to fly by. Here are my top three thoughts around the importance of learning and development...

Be open-minded

I’m always willing to learn and grow because I know it’s separating me from the rest. Every minute I spend listening to others, or studying something new I know is a minute more spent doing something constructive. It’s work that’s going to pay off on the track, because it’s something my opponent may not be doing and that gives me an edge. The biggest thing I would say here is that, no matter how much you know — you never know everything. So seek inspiration, find people who can teach you new things and be open to unplanned experiences that may end up shaping your journey. Recognise moments that could have a huge impact on your future, IN the moment and seize that opportunity while it’s in front of you.

We truly can NEVER stop learning, so go into everyday with that in the forefront of your mind and don’t ever be afraid to say yes to something that might seem a little out of your comfort zone — because that’s where you’ll truly develop within yourself and your career.

Track your progress

Being aware of how far you’ve come, will inspire you to keep moving forward. It goes back to being open minded, accepting that there’s always room to learn, there’s always room to grow. Take note of the people you meet and the lessons you learn along the way, we’re always discovering new things in moments we might not expect. Which is why it’s important not to get discouraged if you’re not where you thought you’d be at a certain point. Keep moving forward toward your goal and track your progress along the way. You’ll be surprised how much farther you’ve come than you may feel and if you start to see results, it’s hard not to keep going. There’s no such thing as overnight success and we all need patience to get to where we want to be. If you do track your progress and performance then you will notice your gains, and success breeds motivation.

Be self-aware

Self awareness is key to growth and development. There are so many different paths to success and if we’re aware of what’s working and what isn’t, we can change course and evolve freely to improve wherever we need to. We have to be prepared to self-reflect and give ourselves feedback or constructive criticism. Mostly we learn through experience and from others — there’s a really famous Larry King quote that I love; “I never learnt anything while I was talking” — I try to remember that throughout my day. Listen to the team around you and absorb the intrinsic lessons they may offer up. Take it one step further and even acknowledge if you’re not listening as much as you could be. It’s SO important to be heard and to share your own insight and wisdom but it’s equally as important to hear others too. Try spending one day this week just focusing on the self-awareness of your own ability to listen in group settings. Ask yourself, “how attentive am I to this conversation?”

Also don’t be afraid to notice what’s going on in the world around you and how that may affect your growth. One thing I’ve learnt from racing is that, you’re only as good as your last performance. People forget very quickly. It's just a harsh reality of my industry and I’m SO aware of that. I know I’ve got to keep moving forward and keep bettering myself at every opportunity. Apply that sentiment to your own work industry. What do you need to do within that setting to adapt to the environment and make the most out of it? What seems like a negative (like my example above), could actually be a motivating factor to inspire you to take on new challenges or learn a new skill. Where there may be setbacks, seek the positive outcome. Notice if your default is just to feel defeated, try to figure out solutions that could actually benefit you instead and most importantly... LEARN from the process.