As human beings, we are given an extraordinary gift: The capacity to change and grow through learning. We are invited from the very beginning of our lives to be curious about the world around us, to ask naïve and even foolish questions to advance the cause of our own understanding. The capacity to learn is a precious gift indeed, a gift we must actively preserve.
In contrast to most of the material gifts we receive, however, our learning gift deteriorates only if we fail to use it throughout our lives. Regular and active use will ensure that learning will remain an enduring and integral part of who we are as people. The key, then, to sustaining our learning from "cradle to grave" is to nurture our genuine commitment to learning.
I believe that a genuine commitment to learning is composed of five organic and dynamically interrelated elements--intrinsic motivation, energy, attention, authenticity and trust. By staying aware of each of these elements of our learning commitment (as well as their relationships to each other), we give ourselves a much greater chance to be successful as learners, as professionals, and as people over the course of our lives. So let's now take a closer look at each of these elements.
Intrinsic motivation In the world of work, many of the reasons we choose to learn come from outside of us. Our bosses tell us that if we learn, we may be invited to take on a new project, earn a promotion, or receive a larger salary. Alternatively, we may believe that our failure to learn will contribute to our becoming irrelevant, or worse, obsolete. These extrinsic motivational factors may make an impact on us in the short term, but they are not what really drive us to learn over time. Instead, we are moved by our own intrinsic motivation for learning, by our desire to grow, to become more than we ever imagined we could be. Our individual and deeply personal desire to learn is the wellspring of our genuine commitment to learning.
Energy At the end of each day, how much energy do you have left? Well, if you're like most people operating in the demanding New Economy, not much. Energy is an increasingly rare resource for today's hard-working professionals, and one we steadfastly protect. Still, it is precisely this conserved energy that we must invest in ourselves in return for the generative fuels of understanding, growth, and inspiration derived from our own learning. Deep meaningful learning can be physically draining, but it "empowers" us to become the people we want to be.
Attention The sheer velocity of life today makes it difficult to give our undivided attention to most of our daily activities. The growing challenge of our work, the proliferation of communications technologies, and the unrelenting need for action combine to place a heavy premium on human attention. Our fundamental distraction impacts every aspect of our lives, including our learning. When we commit our focus to learning, however, we begin to locate another part of our being that is more capable of reflection and deeper inquiry. Our deep attention to learning creates room for all that is possible, instead of what is merely feasible.
Trust The final core element of our genuine commitment to learning is trust. How much trust do you place in yourself as a learner? When you participate in learning experiences with others, are you willing to place your trust in your colleagues? The answers to these questions are critical to understanding your genuine commitment to learning. If you do not have trust in yourself as a learner, you may come to look at learning as a necessary evil instead of an essential good. If you are unable to trust other participants in the learning process, learning may become a hollow and isolating experience. It is in part through trust that we create the intricate web of relationships--with ideas and concepts, with other learners, with facilitators of learning--that makes learning possible.
At this point, you may be wondering about the strength of your commitment to learning. I encourage you not to allow the end of this article to be the end of this important process of self-discovery. Instead, look deeply at what it is about learning that moves you and consider how you can nurture your genuine commitment. Ask yourself this question: What is learning like for me? Do not limit yourself to exploring at learning as an intellectual exercise; consider its emotional and physical dimensions as well. We hope you will share some of your reflections with us; e-mail us at learning@sla.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
What's Hot in the SLDC?
There's Still Time!
You still have the opportunity to register for CE courses at SLA's 91st Annual Conference in Philadelphia! CE courses will be held on Saturday-Sunday, June 10-11 and Thursday, June 15, 2000. More than thirty-five high-quality courses will be offered, but many will sell out, so don't delay your registration any longer! (A complete listing of CE courses is available as part of the Philadelphia 2000 Conference Planner, accessible via the SLA web site at www.sla.org.)
Virtual Seminar Anyone?
On June 28, the SLDC will present the first session in the 2000 Virtual Seminar Series (formerly Real-Time Desktop Courses). The session, titled "I Know What You Did Last Quarter: The Growing Value of Competitive Intelligence," features Mary G. "Dottie" Moon, SLA Board Member and manager competitive intelligence for United Technologies. In this seminar, you'll learn how competitive intelligence (CI) can help you contribute to strategic decision-making by keeping your organization one step ahead of its competitors! You won't want to miss this exciting learning opportunity! Seminar site tuition is $145 for SLA members, $195 for non-members; invite as many people as you want to participate for one low tuition! For more information, please call us at 202/939-3679. To register, please call KRM Information Services at 1-800-775-7654, use seminar code SLA5601-0, and have your SLA member number available.
For more information on these and other SLDC learning experiences, please visit our web site at www.sla-learning.org.
2001 Call for Courses: Share Your Knowledge with Information Professionals
The Strategic Learning and Development Center invites information professionals and other interested persons to take advantage of a great learning opportunity by submitting a continuous education (CE) course proposal for consideration at SLA's 92nd Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX, USA June 9-14, 2001.
The 2001 Call for Courses is an invitation to help information professionals create their most desired futures through learning. Facilitators presenting a CE course for SLA, create a powerful learning experience for themselves and their audience. The 2001 Call for Courses provides all of the information needed to prepare a CE course proposal. The deadline for submitting a proposal is September 15, 2000. To receive a 2001 Call for Courses brochure, contact Teena Whitley at teena@sla.org or visit www.sla-learning.org.
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