KC25: Getting Masterful Through The Discipline Of Study Episode
Are you struggling to scale up in your vocation or career?
Do you want to master a certain subject?
In this episode, we’ll talk about why we need to study and I’ll be providing specific handles to study well including suggestions on what to study.
Study is defined as the application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge by reading, investigation or reflection.
Study is the experience where intentional observation and perception of objective facts & reality may cause thought processes to go in a certain direction.
By studying, it will cause our minds to be renewed & replenished.
And as a result, have transformation in our lives.
Does a martial arts master spend most of his time studying sales & marketing?
What about an I.T. geek practicing ballet every day?
Here’s the thing…
To be healthy, study about health.
To get wealthy, study all you can about the nature of wealth and the accumulation of it.
And if you want to become a great investor, study all you can about the basics of investing, risk management, timing, etc.
Do you know that Warren Buffett, the American business investor, completed reading all the books his father had?
And once he was done, he went to his local library to consume ALL the investment books. He did this at a tender young age and the results are plain to see.
For any field we plan to excel in, we have to devote time to getting great at it.
My Own Experience
In my teenage years, I studied many books on computer hardware and this led to me running my own computer repair business.
Around the year 2005, my obsession in trading the foreign exchange led me to reading lots on this subject and eventually had me trading professionally.
Now let me share some handles for studying. Do grab a notepad & a pen as you’ll want to note this down for your own application.
Ready? 🙂
5 Powerful Keys
Here’s key #1…
Study to REMEMBER
After all, where’s the point in studying and forgetting?
When we study to remember, there are 4 Cs if you will.
The 1st C is to CONCENTRATE. Set aside dedicated time for it. Don’t study where it gets too comfortable like your bed. It’s the perfect recipe for wasted time.
The 2nd C is to COMPREHEND. Comprehension leads to insight.
The 3rd C is to CONTEMPLATE. Comprehension defines what we’re studying while contemplation shows us the significance of what we study.
Finally the 4th C is to CONCLUDE. With what we have studied and contemplated on, we want to summarise & apply it. Now let’s get back to the BIG picture.
Here’s key #2… Study to REPLENISH
We want to fill up our minds and be a flowing stream. This means we share & teach others what we have learnt. In the 1960s, the developed learning pyramid have revealed we retain about 90% of what we learn when we teach or use it immediately.
Here’s key #3… Study to REPRODUCE
With the knowledge you’ve acquired coupled with your own life experience, you want to integrate them and create your own models & principles to teach, inspire & bless others.
Have you noted the 3 keys?
Great!
So Kelvin… What Should I Study While Building The Discipline of Study?
Here are 5 suggestions from me…
Suggestion #1
If you’re spiritually inclined, study the sacred texts such as the Bible, the Torah, etc and even the Tao Te Ching.
Suggestion #2
Personal Development material… I’ve shared with tons of people before this MUST be a priority. We want to keep working on our minds & mindsets. Never take this area of life for granted. Remember that a mind once expanded never retains its original size.
Suggestion #3
Study the journey of life. Autobiographies & biographies of people you respect & resonate with.
Suggestion #4
Study people’s nature. How we think, interact & socialize, etc. Books like… How To Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie and How To Talk To Anyone By Leil Lowndes come to mind.
Suggestion #5
Material in your own specialization. If you’re a sales person, study all you can about sales. If you’re into product design, study all you can about product design. Be knowledgeable and end up in the top 1% – 10% of our industries.
John Wesley, an English Anglican cleric and theologian, who lived between 1703 and 1791, rode over 250,000 miles on horseback everywhere he went. He was reading while riding from scripture to medical books. He was constantly studying!
Warren Buffet reads some 500 pages a day.
Dr John Demartini, the best selling author & international educator, has read over 30,000 books.
A Crucial Reminder
A mentor shared many years ago that who we become in time to come is the primary result of who we associate with and the books we read.
Be mindful that…
You are… Your Life’s #1 Best Asset!
And if you don’t invest in yourself… who will?
Feeding & studying is so important it’s a daily joy for me.
I firmly believe in what gets scheduled gets done! So make sure you set aside time each day for studying.
Start with a short period and extend it longer at the right time.
What might also be useful for you is to set reading goals particularly if you aren’t wired to like studying.
As we wrap up this episode, get clear on which subjects you’ll need or like to get masterful at and begin taking baby steps towards it.
It’s been a pleasure to share this and I look forward to hearing from you 🙂
P.S. Now begin to build yourself the discipline of study and reap the rewards of it in due course!
