Being a student, actively engaged in learning something new and worthwhile, brings out the best in all of us. You are either growing or you are dying. You are swimming upstream or being swept downstream by the forces of nature. There is no such thing as treading water in the middle.
While we all have our own unique and different learning styles, there are some principles that optimize being a good student. Here are 5 that are worthy of consideration.
Start with the fundamentals. Creating a solid foundation creates the possibility for greatness. Without a solid foundation, you will be limited somewhere along the line. Neglecting to master the fundamentals will show up as a weakness that will become difficult to overcome. If you want to become a world-class pianist, start by playing the scales, not by trying to play difficult pieces. Learning the fundamentals requires emotional maturity and patience. We all want to be masters of our craft as quickly as we can. Don’t ignore the importance of learning the fundamentals.
Take massive action. You can’t become great reading about your craft. You must enter the arena and get first-hand experience. At first you will not perform well. Remember, anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first. If you’re going to make a mistake, make the mistake of doing too much activity.
What’s the most important question now? A good student always has a question. A good student also understands where they stand in their journey of learning. They can identify what the most important question is at this stage of their development. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. If you are not clear on your next question, you won’t recognize the answer even if it’s staring you in your face.
Have an incremental mindset. Learning and growth isn’t necessarily linear. Understand that you can expect your progress to show up in small incremental successes. Look for and celebrate those small victories. Armed with an incremental mindset, you are more likely to be able to exercise the patience required to master your pursuit. Don’t try to microwave your career! It’s a conventional oven that requires a slow bake to produce something truly exceptional.
Finally, understand the principle that the teacher always learns more than the student. See one, do one, teach one. To master anything, teach it to others. It’s when you teach that you learn most deeply. Don’t wait until you become a master to start teaching. Once you understand and have proficiency with the most basic of skills, start teaching that basic skill to someone who has just begun.
What are you studying? In what areas of your life do you consider yourself actively learning? Following these 5 principles will optimize you as a student. Be a student of life for life!