Modern Business Magazine January 2016 | Page 8

MODERN LEARNING What does a lifetime of learning mean to you? By Caroline Jane Knight L earning is an attitude as much as an action. As an advocate of continuous learning and development, there are a range of reasons I continue to learn something new every day: • I am continuously developing as a person, increasing my self-awareness, improving my interpersonal skills, resilience and life balance and learning new life skills • There’s always more to know about a topic, even things I may consider myself an expert on. If learning more can be easily accommodated into your life, then only benefits can come from greater knowledge from facts, or a different perspective provided by listening to someone else’s point of view. The greater knowledge and perspective I have, the more effective my decision making powers • My performance and professional skills are constantly evolving and improving, enabling the business to continue to grow and adapt to the rapid speed of change in the world around us • Which brings me to the final, but most important point - the world around us is ever changing and the speed of change is ever increasing. I must continuously learn new things to remain relevant and connected to the present time and engaged in the realities and possibilities of the world at it is, not as it was. • It keeps my mind active and my life full of new interest and staying mentally active is one of the three components to maintaining brain power into later life (see box below) Staying mentally active:* Studies show that mental decline is not an inevitable part of ageing. People who lead intellectually stimulating lives are more likely to be free of dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s disease There’s some truth in the saying ‘use it or lose it’. It’s a question of keeping your mind in trim to retain your mental abilities. Keeping yourself mentally, as well as physically fit, will make you feel better, improve your brain power - and help you to stay independent for longer There are three routes to an agile mind: healthy diet, aerobic exercise and mental sti ][][ۂ