What are you studying?

Not to downplay so many things that are important about raising a family but one thing keeps coming to the surface. I have a goal that my kids will be "life long learners"!

In today's society where we memorize facts for a near term tests or quizzes only to forget the information when the paperwork is turned in, I'm trying to swim upstream. I'm trying to give my kids the confidence that they can learn anything they want, any time they want as fast as they want. What do you want to know more about? For me, the list is so long, I won't be able to complete it in this lifetime.

I come from a long line of learners. I'll never forget the time my parents purchased a set of World Book Encyclopedias. I thought they were for me. Negative. My Dad read the entire set for his own pleasure! He started with A and went all the way through the Maps! Dad purchased his first computer at the age of 60. I stopped by to see him one afternoon after the big purchase. He had devoured 3 books on Windows operating systems, computer hardware and networking. He wouldn't sleep when he was on a quest for knowledge. And since it was a life experience for him, he typically only slept 4-6 hours a night. At the age of 62 he built his first computer from scratch. After he entered the computer age, he discovered the Internet. Now, he was a student on steroids!

For me, it's the same. Access to information has never been so easy and cheap! The love of studying is a life long quest. You need to decide what is the greatest passion for you. Start studying. I've found that it takes about 3 years to develop a strong confidence in the subject. Once you reach this point, you continue as a student yet you also become a teacher. If you strive, you ultimately become the researcher where you contribute knowledge for the general good. What a valuable thing.

Start with this question. If you could the best in the world at one thing, what would it be? Find your passion and start studying.