I was a terrible student in high school. I got by with very little effort. I was bored and didn’t concentrate. By grade 12, I started skipping classes. No surprise, my marks went down. Then I found my passion for media and marketing. I scored my first gig in the first semester of my second year in college.
Grind and Grow
I have spent twenty-six years climbing a steep hill and taking on new challenges has been a way of life. The route hasn’t always been smooth but I can’t imagine not getting up every day to learn and apply new ideas to my company and help my clients.
I have a colleague who has been running her own production and interactive company with her business partner for seven years. They are doing well. She has worked tirelessly every day for the past twenty years to make it happen. She is a teacher and a student of her industry and learns new things all the time.
School is For Life
It doesn’t matter if you run a software company, a classroom, a production facility or a marketing firm, you must continue to learn. Going to school or taking an online course is a good idea but it’s more than that these days. Education only helps if the information sticks and it will only stick if you are passionate about it.
My best friend started a consulting company in the mid-80s with a business partner and one desktop computer. When the company sold twenty years later, there were almost 50 employees and they were top of their industry. He then launched his next company and they are doing well. He never stops learning.
Teach and Learn
Two or three generations ago, you would go to school and get a job and climb the corporate ladder and perhaps stay with the same company for your entire career. Today, we are not only changing companies to match our skill set or ambition but changing careers is commonplace as well.
Another good friend has been a high school teacher for twenty-seven years. In his current role, he prepares elite athletes with the necessary education to get into post secondary schools while they juggle a busy schedule in their sport discipline. He is not just a teacher; he is a student as well.
Lead and Share
Many CEOs enjoy seven figure salaries and seemingly endless perks but without passion, the experience for those around them can become quite empty.
Whether you run a music store or build rocket ships, if you can find enjoyment in what you do, you will spend a lifetime honing your trade and learning how to do it better. That is education. That is passion.
The Adage Rings True
If you love what you do, you have just gained five days of time each week. And if an hour feels like five minutes, you’re on the right route and educating yourself is nonstop.
Now the guy who skated through high school helps managers and business owners - who want to learn - how to build better companies through strategy, marketing and social media.
His education and passion continues. How about yours?
knealemann
Helping you integrate all you do with all you do.
photo credit: suretybonds
