I think the one thing that I am really glad for is that I never subscribed to the institution of formal education. It certainly has its merits and some good people have been churned out of the system but it certainly isn’t the be-all that it was made out to be, and as most people have realised, it very rarely teaches practical skills to exist in the real world.

Many very successful business builders dropped out of school and university which is very telling. Of course, if you want a good entry job, having a university degree does help improve your first paycheck. On the other hand, it is still possible to succeed without this education. The most important thing is your willingness to learn.

So let’s chat a little about informal education. I was fortunate to have an intelligent, mathematically-gifted brain and the ability to remember facts and patterns quite well. This skill helped me get through my schooling years without doing too much work. In fact, I was bored at school and so I pursued other learnings from a young age. I learned chess, how to program, and consumed a book a week before I hit my teens years. I used to read encyclopedias for fun. And when I left school, I was constantly taking short courses and workshops, getting practical learnings in a variety of skills like teaching, various forms of massage, religious and spiritual studies, furthering my programming knowledge, metaphysical studies, various forms of healing, digital marketing, writing techniques, relating and interactions, survival skills, and a range of other things, some which I’ve even forgotten.

I was always curious and remain so, always ready to try something new. That adventurous spirit and attitude is what keeps me energised and always learning. And always learning is exactly what you need to be doing when you’re building businesses. Too many people I’ve met seem to think that education stops once the formalities have. After University, for example. This is obviously not the case; we certainly live in a world and era where there’s no end to our education potential. It is the mindset that requires shifting, however. Especially if you want to get ahead in your job or in your own business. Technology and methodologies and business models are changing so rapidly in the last few years that if you aren’t willing to grow yourself, you’re gonna get left behind.

Make the choice to be open to change, and to accept that the way you’re doing things may need refining or changed altogether. And commit to bettering yourself constantly. This shouldn’t be a chore. It should be an adventure. Go learn what you want to learn, and have fun with it. 🙂