Lifelong Learning Attributes for Career Advancement - Perspectives from Chinese ProverbsAs someone new to the working world, I am sure a lot of you are eager to advance quickly through the corporate ranks. You want to gain that promotion as fast as possible. But gaining that advancement isn’t one big step. It is made up of many small steps. In these small steps you should carry with you lifelong learning attributes. It is these learning attributes that will make you gain the skills and knowledge required for further growth. And you will discover that growth is not just from a professional point of view but also as a person. So what is lifelong learning? Quite simply, it means continuous self-cultivation. The Chinese have a set of proverbs that I feel truly reflects what lifelong learning attributes are. I have penned them down with some explanation of what they mean and how you can put them into practice as part of your formula for career advancement. 1. Continue to Learn in The Journey of Life So it is with our professional life, in every step of the corporate ladder there are new things to learn. Learning is a continuous cycle. It should not stop. If you want career advancement, internalize one of the life longlearning attributes – continuous learning. The moment we stop we regress. Just because you feel you have learned everything at that stage doesn’t mean you stop. This brings me to the next attribute.
In Mandarin, it is pronounced “Xue Wu Zhi Jing”. It means there are no limits to learning. The earlier lifelong learning attribute speaks about continuity. This speaks about no boundaries. You should not limit the fields of what you learn. In life, if we are to improve ourselves, learning is infinite. In our professional life, we should approach what we learn as infinite too. What we can learn is limitless; when you feel you have mastered a skill - perfect it. When you feel you have perfected a skill, learn new ones. When you gain new knowledge and feel it is your advantage, you will soon lose it. Because in our fast paced world, others catch up the moment you stop learning. Amongst the life longlearning attributes, this one speaks about limitless.
Pronounced “Hao Xue Bu Juan” in Mandarin it is loosely translated, as the love for learning should never tire you. The first two lifelong learning attributes talk about continuous learning and no boundaries. Learning is dynamic. It is ever moving, ever changing. Hence, we should never be tired of it. When you have the stamina for self-cultivation then the rewards are manifolds in life. So it is in our professional life, you must never be tired of learning. The stamina for continuous learning is a basic requirement for career advancement. Pacing yourself in the marathon of your career and learning each step of the way without being tried of the process greatly increase your chances of advancement.
This lifelong learning attribute forces you to self-reflect. Self-reflection is an important process in self-directed learning. In Mandarin it is pronounced, "Xue Er Hou Zhi Bu Zu”. Translated - it means that only after learning we know what we do not know. This lifelong learning attribute of self-reflection creates a sense of insufficiency and thus generates an intrinsic want to learn. In our workplace, think about what you have learned and how have this made you realize what little you know. I implore you to self-reflect on what little you know. Only this will make you improve yourself be it skills or knowledge.
5. Three Persons Walking One Is Bound To Be My Teacher To adapt this lifelong learning attribute, you need to be humble. Be mature enough to know anyone can teach us anything. The adage that the teacher appears when the student is ready is true when it comes to this particular lifelong learning attribute that speaks about humility.
Free Article for Distribution Reprint Rights: You may publish or reprint this article as long as it is published in its entirety with no changes to the article. You also agree to add an active link to our website and include the FULL Resource box/SIG line at the end of the article. Resource Box/SIG line: Long Yun Siang or Long, as he is popularly known runs http://career-success-for-newbies.com with his wife Dorena as their way of paying it forward. Their website – based on their real life experiences - provides tips, tools and advise for newbies pursuing career success.
Career Enhancement Tips For First Jobbers: 3 Key Tips to Grow Your Career Practical career enhancement tips for first jobbers. 3 key tips to help grow your career. Career Booster: 5 Attitudes In The Workplace to Get You Ahead Looking for a career booster? Try these 5 attitudes in the workplace and see how far it can propel your career. Increase Chances of Career Success – 5 Clichés That Work To Get You Started How do you effectively increase chances of career success? Here are 5 simple techniques to get started. Career Advancement Tips for Freshies: 5 Quick Advice to Help You Grow Successfully If you are feeling unmotivated and at a loss with your first job, here are 5 career advancement tips to help you. Work Attitudes To Have As You Begin Your First Job So what work attitudes should you possess as you begin a new phase in your life? 5 Lifelong Learning Tips for Career Advancement As a first jobber you should make lifelong learning a principle that guides you in your journey of career success. Here are 5 attributes from the perspective of Chinese proverbs. Share With The Rest How You Can Show Your Appreciation At Work
Tell us how you can share and show your appreciation to colleagues here.
|
