The main purpose of the formal education system is to prepare people for the workforce, and some will suggest that it doesn’t even do that well. In order to rise above the crowd you need to embark on a journey of self education.
Self education doesn’t mean that you teach yourself everything that you need to know. It means that you are the director of your education and that you ensure that you acquire the knowledge and experience that will help you make the most of yourself and your opportunities in life.
We enter the world with no knowledge and yet we have to survive in a sophisticated society that has evolved over thousands of years. In order to recognize and capitalize on the vast amount of opportunity that exists in our society we need to acquire a whole range of knowledge and skills and then apply them effectively.
Let’s look at some of the areas in which we should be enhancing our knowledge.
Financial Education.
Money is not a natural phenomena, it is a human invention. Therefore it is unlikely that we will be born with a natural understanding and proficiency for financial matters. These are things that we have to learn.
We should be studying how to use money so that it becomes a valuable tool for us. If we don’t learn the necessary skills then we will end up being slaves to money and at the mercy of those who do understand and utilize money skills.
Verbal Communication Skills
We are not born speaking our language. The language that we do learn is dependent on where we are born and who our parents are. Yet this language is a highly sophisticated communication tool.
Most people learn the basics of their native language and as such have a basic communication skill. However, very few people learn to master the intricacies of the language so that they can use language as a tool to enhance their life. This requires more than knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. It requires that you know how to use the language in such a way that you can create the life you want.
Some of these more advanced language skills are negotiation, salesmanship, marketing, rapport building, how to create enthusiasm in others, public speaking and effective writing skills. Many of the great leaders throughout history have used these language skills as major factors in their success.
These leaders have been known for their charismatic personalities and their abilities to inspire the masses through their words. These are not inherited skills present in our genetic building blocks. These are skills that those leaders acquired during the life.
Investment Knowledge
If you don’t learn how to make money work for you then you will always have to work for money. Investment is a skill. There are principles and strategies that hold true across the full range of investments and it is important to understand and master these skills.
Then there are skills, strategies and knowledge that are specific to each field of investment. For example you will need a different set of skills, strategies and knowledge as a futures trader than you would need as a residential property investor.
Personal Development
Our lives are far more complex today than were the lives of our ancient ancestors. Achieving personal happiness, a successful relationship with our romantic partner, a sense of personal fulfillment and success in all the other “human” aspects of our life is becoming more and more complicated.
In order to be happy in life we need to study and acquire the skills of happiness. We need to learn how to balance the pressures of living in society with our need for happiness in life. We need to acquire to skills of handling the stresses of modern living without taking those stresses into ourselves.
In Conclusion
I have only scratched the surface of the numerous ways in which self education can enhance your life. Most people’s education stops when they leave the formal system but that is when the successful person’s education begins.