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Christian Woman Leadership Podcast with Esther Littlefield & Holly Cain


Jun 25, 2019

You listen to this podcast because you have a desire to grow and learn. But WHY do you want to learn? And what does it mean to create a “lifestyle of learning”?

 

In today’s episode, Holly and I continue in our Wellness Series by sharing 3 principles that will help you build a lifestyle of learning. Part of personal wellness is staying healthy mentally, emotionally, and even intellectually, so we want to dive into how to create some of these habits.

 

Why Learning is Important

Learning isn’t just about having information, but about developing wisdom with the information we learn. The Bible tells us over and over to gain wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7, 4:6-7, 8:12).

 

What is a “lifestyle of learning”?

We’re not talking about making drastic changes like going back to college or spending hours every day studying. We don’t mean that you suddenly become someone who has all kinds of knowledge about life and leadership. A lifestyle of learning means making mindset shifts and small habit changes to continue to grow and learn on an ongoing basis.

 

The Three Principles to Build a Lifestyle of Learning

1st Principle: Stay Curious

  • Read and study. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Take courses.
  • Be willing to ask questions. Look for opportunities in conversations to ask questions and remain curious while doing so.
  • Go figure it out. Search for the answers you need. 
  • Don’t be afraid of failure.
  • Get experience. Do it and process how it went. Don’t be afraid to jump in and learn as you go.  
  • Ask God what He wants to teach you. You might be surprised what He starts doing.

 

2nd Principle: Stay Coachable

  • Be willing to learn from people who are further ahead than you.
  • Follow people who are where you want to be. Listen to podcasts. Read blogs and books. Take courses. Watch a TV show. 
  • Never have the attitude of “I’ve got it all figured out.”
  • Find a mentor. Connect with someone you can watch work and live life with so you can learn how they handle tough situations.
  • Accept feedback and guidance. Listen to your mentor, leader, pastor, friends.
  • Accept God’s direction.

 

 

3rd Principle: Stay Connected

  • Intentionally connect with the people you want to learn from. Sometimes you can learn from someone for free and other times you may need to invest money.
  • Work with a team. When you work as part of a team, you gain the insight and wisdom of all the members
  • Take notes. When you write things down, your brain actually remembers better. This can also help you when you want to look back over what you’ve learned - you’ll be more connected to reality because you can see in writing what you’ve been learning.
  • Stay connected with other leaders who are also on a similar path as you.
  • Stay connected to God.

 

How to Practically Build a Lifestyle of Learning

For me, I listen to podcasts, read the Bible, take courses that cover specific areas where I want to improve and invest in a life coach for clarity and support.

 

For Holly, she listens to podcasts, studies the Bible, gets certifications in areas that impact her business, and understands that some things will come more naturally or be easier for her than others.

 

Conclusion:

Building a lifestyle of learning does not have to be complicated. It may just mean a few mindset shifts to help you stay curious, coachable, and connected.

 

It also doesn’t have to take up a huge chunk of time. When you integrate some of these ideas into your daily routine, you’ll learn while doing things you normally do.

 

Building a lifestyle of learning does mean that we are intentional, just like we talked about on our initial wellness episodes. One way that you can be intentional about growing as a leader is to join the Confident Leader Club.

 

For the full show notes for this episode, visit estherlittlefield.com/episode53.

 

Episode Sponsor: Confident Leader Club

 

If you listen to the episode the week it airs, the Confident Leader Club is currently open for you to join! If you desire to be connected with other women in similar roles and avoid the loneliness that often comes with leadership, then this is the place for you.

 

The Confident Leader Club is a monthly membership that provides you with community, growth, and action.

 

You’ll gain access to our private Facebook group where you can connect and interact with other leaders who are business owners and ministry leaders just like you. On our monthly leadership support calls, you can chat with myself and others about the highs and lows of leadership.

 

You’ll also grow through our training library and additional video or audio resources released month - these are designed based on the needs of the group so you can have direct input into the type of trainings I’m creating.

 

Finally, you will be encouraged to take action on your goals as a leader through our monthly Take Action calls and accountability within the group!

 

If you’d like to learn more, head over to confidentleaderclub.com. We would love to have you join us!

 

If you’re hearing this episode after the club has closed, be sure to hop on the waiting list so that you can be informed when we open again!

 

Connect with Esther and Holly:

 

This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode53.