We live in a world where technology is growing incredibly fast and at the same time new modes of working and new organizations of work are appearing more often and faster. To be relevant in today’s world of work, it does not matter what you know today but how you prepare for tomorrow. It has become one of the biggest necessities, to embrace the culture of lifelong learning.

In my early career years, I once faced a situation of an overloaded role that pulled me in different directions. So much so, that my catch-up became lost, or at best submerged in my attempts to meet changes in recruitment, relations with employees, and performance management. I was drowning. As time passed, my understanding grew, and I saw that the only way I could escape the grind was not working harder but smarter. This means that I had to embrace the culture of continuous, life-long learning. I had to change my habits, I decided to read more books, do online courses, attend seminars and get role models who were pushing me out of my comfort zone.

I read and I’m still reading a lot of the books. Let me spotlight two of them:

1. Mindset by Carol Dweck. Carol Dweck introduced the concept of growth mindset and fixed mindset. I began to see failure not as a negative that must be avoided, but as something which can be leveraged.
2. Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. I realized that it is in being vulnerable that one becomes a great leader and this changed how I addressed my team and other stakeholders.

Every learning transformed my attitude into one more equipped to meet every new challenge head-on. The workplace of the twenty-first century is best described as an organism in the sense that it undergoes constant transformation; new trends, technologies and markets emerge as if from the bowels of the earth. While the notion of continuous learning was once a discretionary asset, it has become a necessity that optimizes you for the future of work. Apart from career advancement, learning meets curiosity, enhances self-esteem, and is a self-reinforcing process in human development. When you are learning, you can’t grow old.

Below are some practical tips you can apply to stay ahead:

• Start small, but start now:

You do not have to make radical changes at first. No need to dig deep and spend so much on some course you never thought you’d take, just 10 pages of a book per day or enrollment in some free online course that caught your attention. Consistency, no matter how little will bring forth great gain.

• Focus on Relevant Areas

Focus your learning on areas that add value to your career. For instance, if you are in HR, furthering your knowledge of the trends in digital transformation and HR analytics will benefit you and your organization.

• Apply What You Learn

We learn better when we engage ourselves in doing the learning. Take new knowledge and apply it to your day-to-day tasks: an attempt to change, for example, a behaviour, approach, working style, or leading a project.

• Surround Yourself with Learners

Find online networking forums/events or even other people who are as passionate about acquiring knowledge as you are. Motivated like-minded peers will keep pushing you towards more growth and development.

• Stay Curious

Curiosity is the foundation or the pedestal on which continuous learning draws from. Always create questions: about the future and the present, questions concerning your work, about existence and the things you don’t know. Curiosity is what fuels the wheel of learning and keeps the process going.

To help you on your journey, in addition to the books I mentioned earlier, here are some valuable books that would help you extend your knowledge and enrich your learning experience:

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear – This book gives clear instructions on how a person can develop good practices and eliminate undesirable ones, including learning into daily practice.
2. Deep Work by Cal Newport – This book is for you if you frequently lose your concentration or if it tends to wane and fade into multiple unrelated thoughts.
3. The Lean Start-up by Eric Ries – If you want to learn how to create like an entrepreneur, this book will inspire you to experiment, which is a powerful motivation to drive your career with innovation.

In conclusion, continuous learning is the life wire you hold dearly to ensure you are on top of your life and career. Stay out of your comfort zone, question what can’t be questioned, and bet on yourself, you have a bright future. It is often said that the most valuable form of investment is the one you make on yourself.