If you take a moment to sit back and think about the most successful people in your life, the ones you truly admire, and the ones you call when you need advice about a difficult situation, you’ll probably notice that they all have something in common.
These are people that are driven to soak in as much knowledge as possible. They are lifelong learners.
They read books, travel, visit museums, and pick the brains of people who have more knowledge and experience than them in different fields. They strive to gain a broad perspective on life that helps them communicate effectively with people of all different backgrounds, ages, and personality types.
The people you’re thinking of always make you feel valued. They never go around boasting about what they know. They act humble, and they genuinely want to hear about you and your life whenever you interact with them. Building that type of character doesn’t happen overnight. It takes experience, determination, and a thirst for wisdom to earn that level of respect. To become one of those people, you have to keep reading and keep learning.
NFL wide receiver Terrelle Pryor recently said “Once you stop learning and think you’ve got it, that’s when you lose. I never want to get to that point.” Coming off a season in which Pryor had more than 1,000 yards receiving (one of only 25 players to do so in 2016), he instantly immersed himself in preparing for next season. He could have easily been complacent and remained satisfied with the short-term success of last season, but he has a burning desire to improve his game. He’s a lifelong learner. Anxious to take the next step, to learn how to run his routes better, and to improve his knowledge and technique, he contacted Antonio Brown (arguably the best active wide receiver in the NFL) and Randy Moss (arguably the best receiver of the past 20 years) and asked to train with them. When the Titans first came to Nashville, Robin didn’t know anything about football. After the first season she was quoting stats to me like no one else. It’s funny when you apply yourself to something new how quickly you can learn. That was a fun time, 1999 to 2015 we followed the Tennessee Titans. Well, back to the story.
Pryor’s example of dedication to his craft and his desire to never stop learning can be translated from the football field to the entrepreneurial world as well. Today’s top entrepreneurs are eager to learn, and many successful business owners form mastermind groups in which they read and discuss books on strategy and productivity.
Reading is crucial for lifelong learners, and some of the best books to read are those written by entrepreneurs telling the story of their successes and shortcomings. The key is to get your hands on a book that doesn’t hold back in describing the difficult times along with the big wins.
I just launched my new book View From the Top, which is the perfect example of material that all entrepreneurs with a thirst for knowledge are eager to absorb, at least that is my hope. Endorsed by Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ray Edwards and other highly-successful entrepreneurs, View From the Top combines a blend of humility, humor, and helpful advice that is applicable across all walks of life and business.
In View From the Top, I talk about being a lifelong learner myself, saying “Always be in a state of personal assessment. We never get to a point where we know everything, and sometimes we learn through adversities.”
I don’t hold back when talking about a tragedy I endured, a battle with bitterness, and the boundaries that I and Robin set in place to honor our marriage and live a life of significance and success. With honesty and encouragement, I attempt to deliver a plethora of wisdom in only 198 pages. My Lean In section condenses go-to nuggets of knowledge into bullet points at the end of each chapter.
If you consider yourself a lifelong learner and you’re ready to read a book that is packed with hard-hitting advice, humorous stories, and encouraging quotes and mantras such as “Can’t couldn’t do it and could did it all”, then order your copy of View From the Top today. I hope that this book will be a resource for years to come.
