Targeting Our Self-Education

While reading Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, I was struck by the brilliance of something he said. Godin believes schools today should be teaching just two things: (1) solving interesting problems, and (2) leadership. How beautiful is that simple directive?

Isn’t solving problems what education is all about? How does the universe work? What forms the foundation of an ethical society? How can I make that computer do what I want it to do? How much is 46+89? l problems. In the pursuit of the answers, we learn.

Add in the concept of teaching leadership and it’s the complete educational package. We want people to lead good families. We want people to be leaders in their communities. We want good business and political leadership.

When you embark on your own self-education adventures, keep these two simple guidelines in mind. What problems do you want to solve in your life? What problems do you want to solve in the lives of other people? What type of leader do you want to be? How can you lead change in your family, among your friends, in your community, in your business, and in your country.

Identified problem that you want to solve can be great rudders by which to steer your learning. They provide a target that removes the extraneous and allows you to focus on the important information and skills you want to learn. If you take the time to identify a specific problem that you want to solve, this can instantly make quite clear exactly what self-education you need to pursue to meet that need in your life.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Al