I’ve finished graduate school almost twenty years ago. The last time I received a grade for a learning assignment Ronald Reagan was just leaving office. I’ve attended workshops and professional trainings since then, but long gone are the weekly classes and homework assignments. That is, until recently…

In January, I registered for a DreamWeaver web design course at the local community college. This wasn’t a job requirements or even a skill needed in my career. It was just something I wanted to learn. I’d learned some online through the excellent videos available at Lynda.com, but I felt that there was something of value in having an instructor to answer my questions.

We are now halfway through the semester long course and here’s some of the unexpected lessons I have learned (or relearned):

1. You can learn just as much from your classmates as you can from the teacher.

2. There are other ole’ dogs, just like me, looking to learn new tricks.

3. Spring break is still for the young and financially free.

4. Even when grades don’t matter, you still check the gradebook each week.

5. Everything is computerized, from registering for classes to viewing last week’s class presentation.

6. My son still doesn’t want to be seen with me on campus.

I’m really enjoying the classroom experience and will probably take another class later this year.  There is so much I still want to learn.  But the most important lesson is that education is not just for the young.  So take the time to learn a new skill or study an interesting subject.  Sign up for a class at your local community college.

[PhotoCredit:Nautical2k]

1. No one is more responsible for the current state of my life than me. The economy is not to blame. My boss didn’t create this situation. It wasn’t just good luck or bad luck. I don’t owe my neighbor the credit. I can’t blame George Bush. Regardless of how good or bad life is, I am the primary reason the way things are.

2. If things are going to change, it’s dependent on the action I take. If life takes a turn for the worse, it’s the result of something I did (or didn’t do). Likewise, if my life is to improve, it’s going to require action on my part. I am the captain of my ship.

I know, some of you want to ask a question like, “What if I’ve been in a terrible car crash and now I can’t walk.” What do you want me to say? Life sucks. You got a raw deal. There’s nothing you can do? Okay, life sucks and you got a raw deal, BUT there is so much that you can do!

Sure, you can spend the rest of your life blaming the driver of that car, or the boss that fired you, or the wife that left you. If you choose to give them that much power, it’s your choice. But no matter what…you HAVE a choice! You can choose to blame…or you can choose to live.

I choose not to give that much power to anyone in my life. My life is my design. My actions determine my successes AND my failures. Too often we want to find someone to blame for not getting the job or losing the business deal. We believe that prejudice, ignorance or some other factor, outside of our control, is responsible for where we are. We give control to others. But to blame others is to believe that what we do means nothing.

Start living your life by these two facts, and watch the difference it makes. Look at your situation and examine what you did to get there. Did you work hard? Were you purposeful in the actions you took? Did you put first things first? And most importantly, where are you headed and what actions will get you there?
[PhotoCredit:FábioPinheiro]

1) Write them down. Yep, another simple strategy that most of us use too little. Don’t just tell yourself, “I need to remember that.” Get the paper out and make a note of it. Put a pad of paper by your bed for those late night ideas.

2) Buy a voice recorder. This one I am recommending from experience. I carry an Olympus VN-4100 digital recorder with me nearly everywhere I go. It’s great for making quick audio notes. I use it frequently during my daily walks to record ideas I have and work I need to remember to do.  There’s even a PC version that downloads audio onto your computer.

3) Use your voice mail as a audio post-it. Before I bought the recorder, I would call my voice mail at work or home and leave a message for myself. It is a quick and simple way to remember something when there is nothing to write with.

4) Tell someone you are with about the idea. Chances are that the person you tell will not remember the idea and almost definitely won’t remind you. But the value in this tip is that saying the idea out loud will help you to remember it later. When we voice things out loud, the idea or thought makes a stronger impression on our minds. I used this technique when studying in college. Yeah, I looked a bit odd reciting facts while walking to class, but it helped me to remember.

5) Tie a string around your finger. Well, not literally, but the idea is the same. The strategy is to change something in your environment that will prompt you to remember the idea later. The “string around the finger” is to let you know there is something you wanted to remember. Now the key is to make a mental connection between that string and the idea. This is best done through visual association or the link method. Visit Academictips.org for their description of the link method. BTW, I use this method at night when I have an idea. I turn my alarm clock on its side and create a memory link with the idea I have. In the morning I see the clock out of place, and I’m reminded of my idea.

I’ve spent many years studying memory and mnemonics and the best book I’ve read on memory improvement is still the classic, The Memory Book, by Harry Lorraine and Jerry Lucas.

So, what tips do you have for remembering those life-changing ideas?

But education wasn’t always a breeze for the physic’s superstar. As a young child Einstein struggled because of early speech problems. He dropped out of high school and later failed a school entrance exam. Albert was a huge fan of learning, but no lover of rote education. He once wrote that strict, structured education was the enemy of creative thought and the spirit of learning. Einstein said, “Learning is not a product of schooling, but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

Learning is the continued pursuit of knowledge. Unfortunately, many of us stop seeking ways to learn after our formal education. It may be our arrogance that there is nothing more we can learn or ignorance about the benefits of lifelong learning. Actively searching for ways to increase our knowledge and abilities makes life more interesting and less challenging.

Lifelong learning is more than just a neat idea. It is vital to doing your best and achieving life goals. Learning is the fuel that moves us from where we are to where we want to be.

So look at your own life; where would you benefit from a little more learning? Is there a skill at work or a recreational talent that could use improvement? Maybe there’s something you just have an interest in and want to know more? So, take a class, rent an educational video or talk with an expert. There are multiple ways to learn.

Goal: To complete a class on web development or programming to help me with my blogging.

It’s been a long time since I attended a class where my performance was graded. The past twenty years have been more about conferences, workshops and those other terms we give learning in a professional environment. But now it’s back to school.

I’ve registered for Adobe Dreamweaver 8: Web Design at the local community college. My son and I will be attending classes on the same campus (although I doubt he will ever claim to be related). This time around it’s not about the degree or diploma, it’s about knowledge. I need to learn more about the environment I am working in (my moonlighting job). So, I start classes in two weeks and, quite frankly, I can’t wait. I will be keeping you up to date on my experience during the next several months.

If you want to leave me a tip or recommendation for my return to campus, please leave a comment. I’m sure things have changed a bit in the last 20 years.

But life is not over and the journey is still underway. I am at a point in my life where I need to revisit the goals that I have set, consider some new paths and set new targets for myself.

Over the years I have come to believe that our lives can be summed up in Seven Actions: love, play, live, seek, learn, invest, and work. Everything we do falls into one of these Seven Actions. By seeking to understand these actions, what they mean, and how we can use them to improve ourselves, we begin to take control of our lives. And when we are in control, we can choose our own path, create our own happiness and determine our own future.

So, I’ve set some new goals for my life. I’ve organized them by the Seven Actions. During the next year I will be talking about these goals, and the progress I am making. I will share with you what works and what doesn’t.

But this blog is not just about me. This blog is about change; and it’s about you. It is about using each of the Seven Actions to better our lives and become what we most want for ourselves. I hope you will visit often.

What you can expect:

• Regular posts and articles about using the Seven Actions to change your life.
• News and information about real ways to reach your goals.
• Tips, tools and resources that will improve your life at work, home and in the community.
• Encouragement from others who are changing their lives.

What you won’t get:

• A lot of fluffy words about change with no help with no real answers.
• Paid posts that promote a product or service without real experience that it works.
• Answers from a guru who knows everything and has life all figured out. (This is just one way of looking at life, and by no means the answer to everything.)