THE HOW AND WHY OF LIFELONG LEARNING

Bob Jordan, P.E.

Why Lifelong Learning?

Would you invest in a company that didn't have an R&D department?  Commitment to lifelong learning is personal R&D, and others will invest in you when you commit to lifelong learning.

The Whole Picture

Success can come in many forms: career, academic, family, financial, marriage, child rearing, spiritual, health and physical, etc.  Failure in any one of these areas affects the other areas; therefore we need lifelong learning in ALL these areas, and positive inputs in all these areas.

FOUR AREAS FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

1.   CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 

            Personal R&D, Accountability, Attitude, Goals, Communication Skills (Elementary School)

2.   FAMILY

             Marriage, Spiritual, Health, Finances, Social, Intellectual, Cultural (High School)

3.   CAREER

            Computer Tools, Fundamentals, Diversification, Specific Knowledge (College)

4.   LEADERSHIP 

            Risk Taking, Priorities, Projects, Business Finance, Significance (Graduate School)

Recommended Book List: 

1.   Holy Bible  Best management book ever written.  Matthew 5-7 is a model for attitude.

2.   The Peter Principle  Lawrence Peter  How to avoid becoming obsolete.

3.   Time Power  Charles Hobbs  Revolutionary time management system I've used for years.

4.   The Richest Man in Babylon  George Clason  Classic on money matters.  Must reading.

5.   Developing the Leader Within & Developing the Leaders Around You & The 21 Immutable Laws of

          Leadership  John Maxwell  Personal and team leadership.

6.   Maximized Manhood  Edwin Cole  Christian perspective on the husband, father, leader.

7.   The Magic of Thinking Big  David Schwartz  How thinking affects all aspects of your life.

8.   Uncle Eric Series  Richard Maybury  Ten small books on economics, justice, politics.

9.   First Things First  & 7 Habits of Highly Successful People  Stephen Covey  Priorities & Attitudes.  How to write

          a personal mission statement.

10. Fit or Fat  Covert Bailey  Practical life and health and eating and exercise habits.

11. FEE Monthly Journal  Foundation for Economic Education  Non-partisan essays on freedom.

12. Biographies on successful business, political, Christian leaders.

Recommended Tape List Authors

John Maxwell (leadership), Tony Robbins (personal motivation), Jim Rohm (attitude), Earl Nightingale (personal development)

Sources for Lifelong Learning:

1.   Books and Tapes (library, used book stores, discount stores, book clubs, borrow them)

2.   Seminars (Fred Pryor, Stephen Covey, society meetings)

3.   Continuous Education (community colleges, colleges, universities)

4.   Specialty Classes (community colleges, colleges, universities)

5.   Mentors (find someone who's done what you want to do and learn from them)

6.   Church or Synagogue (learn the how's and why's of your faith and compare it to other faith systems)