It’s never too late to acquire new knowledge that you can apply to your small business. As long as you have the ability to retain information, you have the opportunity to acquire knowledge. You’ll be amazed to find that the older you get the more you want to learn. Quite a change from being forced into knowledge as a child and going through twelve long years of school, isn’t it?
Begin with making a list of the things you’d like to learn or change about your business, but understand you will not be limited to that list. It’s just a starting point.
There are methods to acquiring knowledge in everyday life. It’s just a matter of paying attention. Here are some simple tips to acquire knowledge; just keep in mind that you are not limited to these instructions just like you are not limited to the list you have made. With that being said let’s move into our first tip.
Tip #1: Get online. Use Google to find more about your areas of interest. Find the bloggers who care about those topics and subscribe to their blogs. If you are on Twitter, then follow those thought leaders. You fill find more information than you’ll ever know what to do with.
Tip #2: Enroll in classes. You don’t have to seek another degree (unless you want to); there are individual classes you can take at the local community college or university. They are known as continuing education classes which are focused on professional development or personal enrichment.
Tip #3: Join a community event. Check out your local chamber of commerce for local events or city websites that keep the community informed of new events going on in your area. Get involved and you may find you learn something new from that experience.
Tip #4: Volunteer. Find an interest that you’d like to give a lending hand to and see if they need some help. Volunteering can be a rewarding experience and you’d be amazed at the lessons you can take away from someone else’s life.
Tip #5: Visit the local library. Yes, the library is still an awesome wealth of information. Library cards are usually free and you can stay as long as you want during business areas without ever even checking out a book.
Tip #6: Join the chat rooms. There is a chat room for every single subject in the world. Everyone likes to talk and some take those thoughts and opinions online. You can acquire knowledge by listening to others stories. Join a forum on a specific topic and share your own experiences.
Tip #7: Social network for knowledge. If you haven’t been living under a rock then you are just as bombarded with Facebook posts and Twitter tweets on a daily basis. Rather than following a whole bunch of people on these networks, trim down your list to a limited set of people who offer useful information.
Tip #8: Watch a different channel sometime. You may like your local news stations but venture outside your local area every now and then. The knowledge you will acquire may be an eye opener; realizing there is more going on in the world than just what your news station covers.
Tip #9: Start a blog. Put your own thoughts online and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the number of comments you’ll get. Some will get you new insight to your topic while others may only break down your post. That’s fine too, research their comments, validate the information they have provided and then reply to their comments. This is a good way to keep the informational juices flowing and may help inspire your next post.
Tip #10: Live. Just live life. There are things going on in this big, magnificent world so join in the fun. By not putting yourself out there you are guaranteed to learn nothing. Acquiring knowledge is just that, acquiring it. Don’t wait for knowledge to land in your lap or you’ll be waiting a very long time while learning nothing.