Your Life. Your Education. Your Responsibility!

Proverbs 23:12

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

When is the last time you willingly opened yourself to instruction?  How often do you actively seek out knowledge?

The challenge with both of these things is that it requires humility.  In order to do what Solomon is saying here requires us to admit that there is something that we don't know or understand.  What areas of your life would be served by applying this Proverb?  I could make a case that every area of your life would be well served by applying this principle to it.  

If that's true, then how do you do it?

I have written about the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) process before.  I have also written about the concept of Read-Listen-Associate.  And once again, that is what is being addressed in this Proverb.  We need to have a program of life-long self-education.  You can call it what you want:  Personal Growth, Personal Development, Leadership Development, Self-Directed Leadership Education, etc., but the reality is that you need to have a plan to intentionally educate yourself for the rest of your life.

If you are not currently involved in a program of self-directed learning let me give you some suggestions on how to get started:

• Commit to read a minimum of 15 minutes every day from a book.
• TOP 50 Book list from Leadership 3000
• Participate in the Leadership Challenge Group
• The Homeschool Helps page on the Leadership 3000 website
• The Leadership page on the Leadership 3000 website
• Commit to listening to a minimum of 2 educational audios every day.
• Audio Library on the Leadership 3000 website
• Christ for Disciplers Podcast
• Gird Up! Podcast 
• Rascal Radio from LIFE Leadership
• Find a Mastermind group or start a Mastermind group to facilitate regular discussions about what you are learning.
• Leadership Challenge Group
• Church group
• Bible study group
• Get together weekly with a group of friends who are also plugged in to a self-education program.
• Find a mentor

The key to a successful program of lifetime education is to keep it simple, especially at the beginning.  Once you have been doing it for a while feel free to make it as complex as you want, but even then simple is always better than complex.

The easiest way to get started if you have never been involved in any kind of program of self-education is to find a coach or mentor to help point you in the right direction.  If you don't have access to someone who can help you with this, use this website.  That is one of the main reasons why I started this blog.  I know the incredible impact Leadership Education has had on my life and I want to pass it on to as many people as I can.  I can also be a resource for you, feel free to contact me anytime with any questions you have.

Going back to the Proverb that we started with, look at how it is your responsibility to do this.  You must take the initiative to invest in yourself and your education.  Solomon says, "Apply your heart..."  This isn't something that anybody else is going to do for you.  They can't.  This is something that you have to do for yourself.  You must take responsibility to begin this journey.  

The good news is that you can do it.  And more than that, you don't have to do it alone.  Once you get started, you will find that there are a number of people who want to be a part of your journey...a part of your story.  It just takes a little courage from you to take that first step.

My encouragement to you is simple:  Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

God bless

Jason Fredrick