Knowledge Is Power: 6 Rules Successful People Live by to Teach Themselves Everything

What if I told you that you can learn just about anything you are interested in, in a timely and cost-effective way? With so many time-constraints in our daily life, our education is being constantly halted. With the practice of self-education, your future is back in your hands.

Self-education will make you a fortune.

Self-education is extremely important for your future and it’s one of the most effective ways to increase your knowledge on whichever topic you may be interested in. Jim Rohn,^[1] America’s Foremost Business Philosopher, once said: “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” The world is changing so rapidly, by having the self-education skill, you can learn almost anything you choose to and stay on the edge in the information age and avoid becoming obsolete.

If you are wondering what self-education means and how to put it in practice, you have come to the right place! Self-education means the self-guided learning process anyone can take in order to better improve their knowledge. The methods implied focus more on practical knowledge rather than theoretical one which, for most people, makes it easier to learn and later remember. Self-education also relies on the notion that, by educating yourself, you will get some sort of return such as a job promotion or an improvement in your earning ability.^[2]

Learning new skills can double you chance of success.

Self-education lets you take control of your life by allowing you to improve any skills you need in order to reach your goals. You may even acquire a whole new set of skills. Apart from being a powerful tool to further help you educate yourself, self-education can also be an incredible way to learn something entirely new! A recent study conducted by Stack Overflow^[3] found that 69.1% of software developers appear to be self-taught!

Self-education can help you take the first step towards success. For example, if you are planing to change your job, consider educating yourself further on the particular industry you want to switch to. This newly acquired knowledge will increase your chance of adapting and quickly succeeding at your new job.

On the other hand, self-education can help you take that extra step on the road to success. Let’s say you are a salesman. By taking the time to educate yourself on new sales techniques, you are likely to later increase your sales and improve your closing rates.

Self-education isn’t easy. That’s why you need to prepare for it.

Self-education can be a liberating practice that helps you understand your learning styles and how to teach yourself effectively.

But as you may have noticed by now, self-education is no easy task. The practice of self-education presupposes that you follow a specific schedule and the right resources in order to teach yourself correct information in a time-effective manner.

Now that you have a better understanding of the concept, the pros, and the cons of self-education, we will give you some useful tips on how to turn this concept into a useful reality.

1. Start with something you like

Whether you would like to progress in your career or get a new hobby, self-education can help you as long as you find a specific interest you would like to further educate yourself on. Having an interest is vitally important when it comes to learning. Some studies^[4] found that “interest can help us think more clearly, understand more deeply, and remember more accurately.” If you are unsure of your interest, start by making a list of specific goals you would like to reach and then make a list of skills required in order to achieve your goals.

2. Find the right sources

More important than learning something is to learn something factual and proven. Make sure that your sources are reliable by reading some reviews about that specific website, book, YouTube channel. Speaking of YouTube, non-traditional sources such as YouTube or online podcasts can be hugely useful.

3. Grab a book

Reading^[5] can help you become more successful. Nobody has all the answers but everybody can find a book or books to learn more about the topic and become an expert. When Elon Musk^[6] was asked by people how he learned to build rockets, he simply said “I read books!” The ability and the willingness to learn is the most important asset anyone can have.

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” – Harry S. Truman

4. Assign time for learning

Make sure that you are not making excuses when it comes to making time to learn. By giving yourself a certain amount of time to solely focus on self-education, and even establishing deadlines to finish specific topics, you are increasing your chances that your time-investment will quickly lead to big results.

5. Don’t forget to test yourself

Don’t be scared to put your knowledge to practice. Once you feel confident enough to try something new, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Practical education can be a powerful tool when it comes to helping you further cement your knowledge. The ultimate goal will always be to put theory into a practical and useful skill.

6. Commit to life-long learning

Never stop learning! With the widespread use of the internet, you can have access to extremely useful information anywhere. Use that to your advantage and to constantly update your knowledge and intermittently better yourself.

Besides online learning, you can also continue your education from workshops, networking events and personal development seminars in your city or local area. There are so many unparalleled benefits^[7] you can get from attending live events and seminars that you cannot simply get by reading books or searching on the internet. You might be able to access exclusive information which is not available anywhere else. You can ask the experts directly and receive personal advice and recommendations.

Your ability and commitment to lifelong learning is critical to your success. By dedicating yourself to learning and growing everyday, you can get ahead in every aspect of life and achieve the goals you set out for yourself. The dream life you always want to have might just be one book away, one seminar away or one skill away. Keep on learning and applying what you’ve learned and you will eventually get there.