Not Resting on Your Laurels – Continuous Learning for Graduates

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

As a successful graduate, you have will have worked hard for your achievements. Since graduating and launching your career, you have celebrated many sales and happy clients. You have strived to cultivate a team consisting of colleagues and realtors; working to surround yourself with like-minded, positive individuals. Now all you need to do is to keep hustling, right? Wrong. No matter what the path to “success” looks like for you, it needs to veer towards the nearest library.

Did you think your days of learning were over? According to the experts, success is dependent on developing a daily habit of deliberate learning. Learning that expands your mental horizons and contributes to your self-education. Entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, maintain that their ability to outperform their competitors is due to a daily reading habit. To them, knowledge is the new money. Why? Because learning is the best investment that you can make in yourself.

Scholars have long known the benefits of attaining knowledge, but with the advancements in technology, why is it still so important? After all, the answer to any question is literally at your fingertips. What is the value of daily reading? How can you incorporate it into your schedule? And, what can the specific benefits be to continuous learning for home stagers?

What is the value of daily reading?

Taking the time every day to read, whether it is a newspaper, book or magazine, helps to expand your brain. Now, you may be thinking that you read every time you scroll through your social media feed; however, that is not deliberate learning, just mindless surfing. Reading for learning can be equated to eating a healthy diet: it fills your mind with “vitamins and nutrients” that will benefit you by making you a stronger, more knowledgeable individual.

The value of filling your mind with knowledge daily cannot be underscored. Not only does it help you to accomplish your goals, but it makes you think “bigger”; your aspirations continue to expand as your imagination soars. The knowledge that you gain makes your brain work better as it compounds over time, building upon itself like a gigantic mental game of Jenga. Reading daily also squashes any tendency to rest on your laurels. By fulfilling your quest for deliberate learning, you demonstrate a reluctancy for intellectual and professional complacency.

How can you incorporate it into your schedule?

Although Mark Cuban and Warren Buffet read for at least 3 hours per day, the benefits can be realized in as little as 1 hour. Where can you fit those 60 minutes into your day? Finding the time will be dependent on your lifestyle and commitments. Perhaps you can set your alarm and begin your day earlier; enjoy a cup of coffee and a quiet hour of reading before the hustle and bustle of the morning starts. You can even split the hour up into 15-minute increments. Read during a commute, during your lunch, or in the evening as a way to relax and unwind.

Choose material from a wide variety of genres, such as non-fiction, autobiographies, newspapers and magazines. Read anything that sparks your interest. Be intentional about what you read; seek out material that will help you develop your mindset and performance to become a better and more successful home stager. It is important to use what you read as well; make notes of yours and different authors’ ideas and refer to them.

What are the benefits of continuous learning for graduates?

As stated previously, one of the benefits is self-education. Staying on top of trends is critical to the success of anyone in any industry, and Ultimate Academy® Graduates are no different. Trends constantly change in real estate itself, as well as in events, décor and interior design. 

As an example, in order to make a home appeal to the masses, you need to be knowledgeable: knowledgeable about the specific neighbourhood, the demographic, and what is important to them. Deliberate learning allows you to expand your professional horizons. Reading real estate blogs and magazines will inform you of trends, and not just the superficial ones found on social media.

As a graduate and entrepreneur, in order to grow your business, you also need to develop a team around you. Networking is an essential element of forming your “professional posse”. When attending networking events, you are often required to engage in conversations with many different people, most of whom you do not know. 

The best advice for anyone in this situation is to be prepared; educate yourself on anything pertinent to the event, the attendees, or perhaps the venue or city itself. After all, it can be quite nerve-racking to approach a group of strangers and engage them in conversation. 

By reading daily and expanding your mental horizons, not only will you be able to converse easily on a variety of topics, but you can even have conversation-starters prepared. This can alleviate your unease and allow you to network successfully.

Understanding the value of knowledge can result in your success. By adopting a daily habit of reading, you can learn, and use this knowledge to continue your success.

The key is to learn deliberately; expand your professional and mental horizons and educate yourself on the journey of learning and personal and professional growth.