learning Archives - Debra Kasowski

EPISODE 28: COMMIT TO LIFELONG LEARNING

September 20, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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EPISODE 28: COMMIT TO LIFELONG LEARNING

For those who know me, you know that I am a constant state of learning. I’m looking up information, listening to podcasts, and I always have a book on the go. I consider myself a student for life and I want to encourage you to do the same. The world is in a constant rapid state of change and if you don’t learn and improve your skills you can become outdated very quickly.

No matter your profession whether you are an employee of an organization or business owner growing your business, you need to connect to a lifelong learning. I have gone to many conferences where you see people sign up for all the courses and webinars that are available. I wonder are they going to implement all of those things or are they caught up in the involvement of being part of those things.

54281617_s There is a big difference between being involved in something or committing to something. You may have heard the story about bacon and eggs. The pig was committed and the chicken was involved. Those who are committed and are putting in the work are the ones who will see a return on their investment. They don’t get caught up in comparing themselves with others and other distractions to their focused on their end game and they know that these distractions will just get in their way. Being committed means that you’re invested and you are giving 100% in whatever you do.

To stop learning, is to truly get old. One of my endgames is to live 103 years old and I want to be as sharp as a tack. I know in order to do so, one of the most important things I need to be doing is to be open to learning and being interested in the world. Someone once said that if you want your life to be interesting you need to be interesting. So in order to do so, you need to try new things and learn new ways of doing things. When you start doing different things and get involved in conversations, people will find you interesting. They will be curious about what you know and want to learn more about what you have to share.

Ask for feedback. The world gives you continuous feedback. We must start shifting our thinking from failing and making mistakes is bad things and instead view them as learning opportunities. How would you know if something would not work unless you made an attempt? Recently I made my first Facebook live video and needless to say I do have room for improvement. My video went sideways literally and when I went to publish it but you didn’t realize you could delete it was turned sideways. Did it stop me from publishing the content? No, the message was important and timely and it actually calls people’s attention to it wondering what I had done. Did I learn from it? Absolutely. I’m so proud that I followed the prompting of going ahead and doing it. It was great to see the interaction and the kindness of people teaching me how to use it properly.

When you look to people you know and trust, you can learn new ways of doing things as well as seeking to improve. By asking for feedback, you are opening the door of opportunity to elevate yourself to a new level. When you hear the feedback, you have a choice whether to accept or reject it or at least entertainment. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from what was shared with me?” Get feedback from someone who’s been in your situation before. This can save you a lot of time and money is you may learn mistakes that they have previously made which you can avoid.

Find a mentor. A mentor is someone who is been in the space that you are working to achieve. They can share a variety of experiences and mistakes in which you can learn and grow from. You do not have to be on this journey all alone.

40690911 - happy couple of travelers sharing music on holidays during a travel in a train station

Get educated. So many people think that education is a formal process in the classroom. Life is education. Yes there are formal courses in which you need to grow and learn in different areas but not all education has to be within the doors of the classroom. With the Internet, there should be no excuses in committing to lifelong learning. There are so many websites with free resources in which you can fill in the gaps and hone your skills. There are programs like Coursera, Udemy, and TedTalks to guide and teach you new things from positive psychology to social media marketing. There are podcasts, YouTube videos, and articles available at your fingertips. What is most important is that you integrate what you learned how you show up in the world and what you do.

Thanks to the Internet, the excuses of needing money to get educated or purchase books or getting to classes no longer stand. You can take books out from the library for free. There is a way to get to what you want if you just into your resources. You don’t need to know everything or claim to. The most successful people know where the resources are and utilize them. They reach out to experts. They are open to new ideas and perspectives. People look for better ways to streamline what they currently do.

Get hands-on. Many people learn by doing. When you take the initiative to follow through and try new things, you create new experiences. You are actually taking action and learning as you go. You can adjust when you need to and carry-on.

Make a plan each day to learn. Take notes from articles and books that you read and decide what it is that you’re going to implement into how you show up in the world. You have everything you need to succeed truly at your fingertips and it was in the world that you live in right now it all depends on how you plan to use.

Thanks for joining us on The Millionaire Woman Show today. I would love to hear how you have committed to lifelong learning e-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com we would love to hear from you. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating! Sign up for our Newsletter www.debrakasowski.com

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Time: 10.36 min

Keywords: learning, education, life is education, constant learning, commit to lifelong learning, self-improvement, pursuit of learning, practice, constant improvement, commitment, involvement, lifelong learning in nursing, lifelong learning quotes, lifelong learning plan, library, new skill, teaching, instruction, knowledge, academic skills, self-development, creative thinking, learning experience, learning opportunity, communication skills, online learning, learning strategies

EPISODE 23: Learn to Intentionally Listen and Learn

September 1, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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Episode 23 – Learn to Intentionally Listen and Learn

“The world is giving you answer each day. Learn to listen.” – Unknown

There is a significant difference between hearing and listening. I discovered the best definition of the differences on a website called The Difference Between, “Hearing is the act of perceiving and receiving sound waves or vibrations through the ear. Listening is the act of hearing a sound and understanding what you hear.”

Do you know someone who hears that you’re speaking but never seems to be listening?

I think we all know someone like that. It can become frustrating and lead to arguments and disagreements especially emphasizing that they weren’t listening.

WE REMEMBER
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss with others
80% of what we personally experience
95% of what we teach others

– Edgar Dale

Studies have shown that we remember approximately 25 to 50% of what we hear. I find this statistic shocking. It is the time we do something different. It is the time that we become intentional with our listening so we can learn. How much more would you accomplish if you took the time to truly listen?

“We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally.”
― Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

One of the principles of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People written by Stephen Covey states, “Seek First to Understand, Then To Be Understood”. Intentional listening begins when we focus and listen to what the other person is saying. It is the ability to put aside any distracting thoughts and truly be present. If we listen to our own thoughts we’re going to want to interrupt the other person and share our ideas or solutions of what we have done because we have this fear of losing our thoughts. This is where the arguments and disagreements come in because are thinking too far ahead and were not really listening to what is being said.

Arguments and disagreements are a reactive approach to conversation versus a responsive approach. When emotions are high, our brains move into a “fight or flight” response. Your amygdala, a small area of your brain, reacts to protect you and shuts down other areas of the brain that would otherwise analyze the threats. Psychologist Daniel Goleman refers to this as the boiling over point or that amygdala hijack where the intelligent part of your brain is no longer in control and you no longer reason with what’s being said. You cannot often reason with someone who is gone past their boiling point. You can learn to choose the words that you use to meet a person where they are at and truly listen to understand where they’re coming from, what their expectations are, what their hopes and fears are to really gain a clear picture of a situation.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

How Do I Begin?

There is so much more to listening than keeping your mouth closed and being silent. When you’re listening you are coming from a place of being nonjudgmental and simply curious about what the other person is saying. You let them know that you’re engaged through your body language by nodding your head and maintaining eye contact with them while they speak to demonstrate an interest in what they’re saying. You wait for the person who’s speaking for a pause to ask questions regarding what they said or to clarify what you been reading between the lines. You may paraphrase what they’ve said to ensure that your understanding what they’re saying.

Another way to truly understand what a person is saying is by putting yourself in another person’s shoes, being empathetic, and try to gain an understanding of what they might be thinking and feeling. You might want to repeat facts that you’ve heard or knowledge their emotions. You may say something like, “I am trying to get a sense of how you’re feeling … Are you feeling __________?” to ensure your perceptions are correct. When you do this you make people feel like they’re the most important person in the world and at the moment they should be if you’re truly listening.

The book Just Listen: Discover The Secret To Getting Through To Absolutely Anyone by Dr. Mark Goulston is one of the best books out there on the topic of listening. He shares strategies and techniques that are designed to help you successfully communicate with anyone. He has trained the FBI and police hostage negotiators to handle life or death situations. The same tips and techniques can be used by you. One of the techniques he describes in the book is called The Persuasion Cycle that was inspired by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente from Their Trans-Theoretical Model of Change. Dr. Goulston states that you need to speak with a person in a manner that moves them.

“From resisting to listening
from listening to considering
from considering to willing to do
from willing to do to doing
from doing to glad they did it and continue doing.”

He believes that you can get through to absolutely anyone when you can have them buy into what you’re saying and it all stems back to listening.

Where Does it All Begin

You must truly understand yourself, your emotions, and what triggers you to react and circumstances versus respond. One of the things that Dr. Goulston says, “If you want to open the lines of communication, you must open your mind first.” It begins with suspending all judgment. When you remove judgment, everyone is on equal playing field and your mind is open to the possibilities.

One of the acronyms that we used in my coaching program was W.A.I.T.

“Why Am I Talking?”

If you start talking while another person is speaking, no one is listening. You learn so much more when you spend time listening intentionally.

When is Listening Important?

Listening is important in everything we do. Intentional listening can prevent misunderstandings, de-escalate and resolve conflict, discover solutions to problems. Listening is important in parenting in understanding the needs of your child.

Listening is important in leadership to learn what your people want and need. We need to learn a person’s preferences. An introvert may have different needs than an extrovert. The Disney Institute had an article about intentional listening in the workplace. They stated the importance of learning people’s preferences and gaining an understanding of whether they like to work individually or in a team or in a combination of both. By learning this information you can better suit the person to the role and the responsibilities that they need to fulfill. They will be more likely to be successful if they’re working in their preference. Resistance occurs when we have people doing things that do not suit them or do not align with who they are.

Listening is important in sales and understanding your customers wants and needs and learning whether or not you have the ability to fulfill them. When customers have complaints or want to vent, this is a great opportunity for learning. For when someone complains events about a situation, they often have a picture of what the ideal situation would be. It is up to you to learn what that is. If you listen with sincerity and interest in what they are saying, you may be able to resolve conflict easily and create a win-win situation.

Why is listening important to you? What are you listening to? What do you need to be listening for? Where in your life do you need to be more intentional with your listening?

Be intentional with your listening. There is more to listening that what you are hearing. When you listen to podcasts like this one, grab the show notes when you can. Choose to take action or integrate one of your learnings into who you are or how you want to show up in the world.

There is a big difference between what you hear and what you listen to learn and understand!

I would love to hear about how intentionally listening has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating! Sign up for our Newsletter www.debrakasowski.com

Time: 12:23 min

EPISODE 17: Harness the Power of Momentum

August 11, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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Episode 17 – Harness the Power of Momentum

There are no limits to what you can achieve if you stay focused on what you are trying to achieve. You need to believe the impossible is possible for you. Your results may be better than you expect. Success has no guarantees; each action you take starts creating a momentum. If you stop taking action, you stop the momentum.

“Always work hard. Intensity clarifies. It creates not only momentum, but also the pressure you need to feel either friction, or fulfillment.”

— Marcus Buckingham

During my coaching program, we learned about Creative Tension – It moves us to take action. It helps us get out of our comfort zone and stretch us. Challenge us.

Why do we need it? What does it do?

Momentum helps us:

Push through and overcome obstacles. You may have heard about runners or even swimmer pushing through a certain distance to push forward what they may not have thought possible exclaiming, “What else can I do? What else can I do?” What else is possible for you?
Increase your motivation and confidence in your abilities. It helps you to try new things!

You are responsible for creating it through consistent actions. A rapid succession of successes and lessons drives momentum. Energy increases; it will be natural for others to want to follow you. You will become magnetic. You will start to inspire others around you.

Momentum is ignited when you have a clear vision – you know what you want to achieve, you are able to articulate and share your vision, and you can enroll others in your vision.

Do you want to get more clarity? Read my book GPS Your Best Life

Believe in your ability to make things happen. Your confidence, energy, and enthusiasm with excite others around you.

You are probably thinking to yourself – but how do I create a momentum – especially when times are tough or you are feeling challenged more than you think you can handle.

I want to share with you some of the ways that have worked for me and some of the clients I have worked with.

Challenge yourself – Be committed to continuous learning, stay curious and have a learner mindset. Try new things regularly.
Make a rule to quit complaining, blaming, and stop making excuses. You either get results or excuses.
Reduce your distractions. Declutter your space or your email. Clear whatever is in your way.
Be grateful for what you have; the more you will have to be grateful for.
Celebrate your successes – little things lead to big things! It will drive you to take more action. Breath in and acknowledge the successes before moving on to the next thing.
Deliver value and look for ways to exceed expectations. You will generate excitement in others and they will be grateful and share their experience with you – with others.
Do you least favorite activity first – EAT THAT FROG – Brain Tracy

Everything will move so much quicker with the momentum.

Set Milestones – You create anticipation. You may even meet goals quicker.
Measure your outcomes – what gets measured gets managed.
Fake it until you make it – take the actions you need to get to where you want to go. Who is a leader you admire? How can emulate some of the actions that they have taken to achieve success – do your homework. If you want to be a great leader, start being one now.
Make a plan – Work the plan. Otherwise, you will be chasing butterflies. Do you due diligence and your resources.
Don’t forget to dream – Sometimes when people are too realistic to the bone, it drags people down. Dreams can propel you further rather than looking at your current circumstances.
Follow up with people you have met at events or make inquiries – you will be surprised when you connect with others. They energy rises and people take an interest in what you are doing.

What happens when you stop running on a treadmill or riding a bike?

You stop moving – you fall off.

Worry and doubt can paralyze you from taking forward action. They drain your energy. Challenge yourself – test your theories. Ask questions. Gain knowledge – but don’t stop unless you know you are in danger.

No one is going to jail or getting hurt or killed in the process chances are whatever happens you can course correct.

We all start somewhere. There have been many successful people who did not start with any resources – no network of people, no money, no knowledge, did not know English or a language of the place they settled in. They built it and so can you.

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” — Og Mandino

Success is not about how many resources you have; it is about being resourceful and leveraging your resources in the most effective way. Focus on taking action and over time a compound effect with occur. If you are focused only on short-term activities to get immediate results, you will lose momentum quickly especially if you do not set a new target that stretched you.

Your efforts make a difference in how you feel about your progress and what you are going to achieve.

Let your efforts multiply!

Success comes from taking the initiative and following up…persisting…eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?

— Tony Robbins

You need to continually set new challenges to learn and grow. Acknowledge how far you have come. Reflect on what you can do better and work to improve.

Time: 16:31 min