Early in my career I had a craving or longing for something that was missing or lacking in my life. At the time I was working for a company that developed software to run on the Unix platform. As a marketing coordinator I needed to understand and promote the advantages of the Unix operating system. As we sold our products on the NCR Tower computer, I was sent off to NCR in Dayton, Ohio for several weeks of Unix training.
We spent all day in the classroom. I was not yet 25, so too young to rent or drive a rental car in Ohio. I travelled back and forth to NCR by bus. In the evenings I ate dinner and did my homework and went for a walk around the neighborhood. After a week or so I suddenly noticed I no longer had that feeling of something missing. This, despite living in a rather dull motel room, away from friends, family and my curling teams and yet I was somehow satisfied. It occurred to me after my return what the magic had been during those weeks in Dayton. I was learning again. So that’s what lifelong learning means!
I smiled the other day when a 27 year old family friend told me she is taking a course at George Brown College. I knew it wasn’t because she didn’t have enough to do. Her plate is full. She said she missed learning and needed to fulfill that need.
I started to think about the insight I had after my trip to Dayton and wondered why I don’t feel the need or longing any more. It occurs to me that as a consultant I am constantly learning. Learning from our clients and my colleagues, intentionally learning so I stay up to date in my field, and learning when applying my knowledge to the unique situations I face as an Osborne Group Principal.
So thank you to all my clients and colleagues for helping me keep up my learning and eliminating the craving. It’s fewer calories than a piece of chocolate!
