I was sitting in the garden on Sunday afternoon, plugged into my MacBook air and watching a webinar on Facebook Advertising.  My pad and pen was beside me so that I could make some notes as I went, and my hubby turned to me and said “Julia, don’t you ever just sit and do nothing?”.  (I must add at this point that he was busy pottering in the garage and my daughter was out for the afternoon).

We have been married for over 10 years now, so he already knew the answer to that question, but it did make me think “is this constant need for new knowledge a good thing for the mind and soul?”.

Sad as it may sound, I got a fresh page in my note pad and challenged myself to come up with 5 reasons why learning is good for me.  Here is my list… 

#1 Helps to develop my natural abilities.

When I look back to my school life, I loved to draw and paint.  I have always been quite a creative person and I am very good at visualising.  Educating myself on graphic design, web design, colours etc has given me the opportunity to fully explore and develop these

#2 Keeps me involved as an active contributor to society.

I love sharing knowledge.  In fact I am critisised by many by giving too much stuff away, but I love it and feel that I am contributing to society by sharing a new technique or tool that I have come across.  It’s also a good conversation starter.

#3 Helps me and my family adapt to change

Technology moves so fast that I feel it’s important to keep up with the times.  With me being knowledgeable in most digital areas, I know that this style of living is incorporated in everyday lives, therefore my daughter will pick up a powerpoint presentation, record videos and edit them, and even produce mini podcasts without blinking an eye, and she is only 10 years old.  I feel that I am giving her the education that she will need to be successful in the future with anything that she choses to do.

#4 My reading speed has increased.

As I need to absorb so much more information that I previously did, my reading speed has doubled in the last 6 months.  This can only be a positive thing surely!

#5 Instills confidence in the services that I offer.

It’s important that when I give advice to any business, that I am giving the correct information with confidence, therefore I need to have a good understanding of the subject matter.