Hey Friend,

Today, we’re going to focus on how honouring our innate urge to keep learning and growing is actually an act of self-love.

Learning and development are essential for personal growth and fulfillment. They help us to expand our knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Not to mention, the more we learn, the more well-rounded our perspectives, values, and interests are.

Before we get any further, I’d like to point out that learning and development are not only about formal education or professional training.

I get that sometimes the thought of formal, strictly academic learning can be unappealing… but education is all around us.

Reading your grandma’s recipe for rock buns and reading the latest Harvard Business review article are both occasions of learning.

That’s because learning is also about pursuing your passions, exploring new ideas, and discovering new aspects of yourself.  I love knowing that in our fabulous #fortysomething years, we still have new things to learn and discover.

Here are some tips on how to do that:

1. Set SMART Goals

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

This is one of the most common ways to set goals, largely because of how these criteria make your goals more effective and realistic.

I believe our actions are guided by our intentions. That’s why I trust the smart goal setting process.    Being intentional about what your goals are, how much time you want to spend on it, and how soon you want to manifest it fuels how we show up to do the work towards achieving it.

For example, instead of saying “I want to read my bible more”, you can say “I want to read 1 chapter of the bible every day for the next 3 months”. 

Have you ever tried setting smart goals? How did they work for you? Let me know in the comments.

2. Find Your Learning Style

Everyone has different preferences and strengths when it comes to learning.

Some of us learn better by reading or writing, others by listening or speaking, and others by doing or observing.

Some of us prefer structured or formal learning environments, while others prefer flexible or informal ones.

Some of us like to learn alone, others like to learn with others.

Personally, I’ve found that reading and speaking are the best ways for me to gather information, but to lock it in, I have to do what I’ve learned. For example, I love dancing, and several times in my dance class, my instructor would explain the steps to the class. While I would understand the concept, it truly sinks in when I do the move.

The key is to figure out what works for you and use it to optimize your learning journey.

3. Seek Feedback

This tip is one of my favourites when it comes to personal development.

Nobody knows it all. And feedback is essential for learning and development.

It helps us to identify our strengths and weaknesses, improve our performance, and correct our mistakes. Feedback can come from various sources, such as teachers, mentors, peers, or even yourself.

Trust me Sis, this journey to 40 gets a whole lot easier when we seek feedback, remain open to constructive criticism, ask for suggestions, listen attentively, and apply what we learn.

4. Embrace Challenges

Challenges are opportunities for learning and development. Point blank, period.

They push us out of our comfort zone. And nothing grows in the comfort zone.

As a growth oriented individual, trust me, in your 30’s is the time to test your abilities, and stimulate your curiosity in all areas of your life.

Challenge your stereotypes in dating, careers, and financial options. Is that tall, dark, handsome, and emotionally unavailable man really your type? Is your job just the place you collect a paycheck, or is it a career that you are passionate about? Are you vacationing in the US this year, or is this the time to do a staycation and invest in your home, business, or education?

Whatever it is, embrace your challenges, and be willing to try new things that are aligned with your values and long-term goals. We have been around for about 4 decades so by now we know that there are risks and difficulties in most undertakings.

And you know what, we also know, we will conquer every single one!

5. Celebrate your wins

Speaking of conquering, achievements are the enivitable results of your learning and development.

They reflect your efforts, progress, and success.

When we celebrate our achievements we are honoring and loving ourselves by acknowledging our accomplishments, rewarding ourself, and sharing our joy with others.

Best of all, celebrating your achievements helps you boost our self-esteem , motivation , and happiness. So the more we allow ourselves to feel proud and grateful for our opportunities the more inspired we become to do more.

Remember that self-love is not only about feeling good about yourself but also about doing good for yourself.

When you keep learning and educating yourself are honoring yourself and your potential. And that my friend is a powerful expression of self-love

To help you with this process I have created a special meditation for you that will help you with learning and developing yourself with self-love. I encourage you to listen to it today and whenever you need it.

I’m also sharing a short affirmation for self-love.

I love myself and I keep learning and developing myself.

Repeat this affirmation throughout the day especially when you feel stuck or discouraged in your learning journey. Write it down on a sticky note and put it somewhere you can see it often. Pro tip: Say it out loud or in your mind with conviction and enthusiasm.

Thank you for reading and I’ll see you soon.

Have a beautiful day and keep doing your most!