By John Valentik MS, NASM-PES, FMS

This past week I was in Baltimore for the NSCA National Conference. This was an opportunity for me to learn more about what’s going on in the health, fitness, and performance industry. It also provided me with some inspiration for this week’s blog post; the topic of lifelong learning.

Generally, when we hear the word learning, we think of school, from kindergarten to college or beyond. My hope as you read this is that you will take advantage of opportunities that are all around us 24/7. Learning does not and should not stop when your formal education ends.

First of all, I’m not saying that everyone reading this needs to attain their PhD. My suggestion is to look for opportunities to learn about a topic that can help make your life better. This can be in the realm of learning another facet within your current career to make yourself more valuable to the marketplace. It may revolve around learning to become a better parent, spouse, friend or community member. What about learning how to play an instrument or speak a second language? Regarding health and wellness, you could learn about another style of exercise or a cooking recipe that piques your interest.

The main message is that complacency generally is not your friend. We get so caught up in day-to-day responsibilities that we forget there is no dress rehearsal to life. You’re in it, RIGHT NOW! If there’s something you’re passionate about or have been thinking about doing, do it now or start planning to take action. That is more than likely going to require some form of learning on your end, even if it’s just researching that vacation that you’ve been putting off for too long. A Chinese proverb that my students enjoy is “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

The first step is deciding on something that may be useful to you. Again, think about something significant to you, your family, or place of work to start. It will get easier as you go, I promise! Health, wellness, and being a father and husband are at the top of my list. Then, think about what you could learn about this topic that would make a positive change in your life. It doesn’t need to involve a commitment of hours per day. Perhaps even 5-10 minutes here or there. If you don’t think that’s possible here’s a blog article reminder of the benefits of getting up a little earlier.

Once you start this process and stick with it, soon that will become part of your routine. Then, you can pick another area of importance or value and begin chipping away. There’s no pressure, just specific intention every day or week. To paraphrase the late motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, “What we can do is exciting. What we settle for is disappointing.” We have countless options at our disposal, from apps on our phones and YouTube, to the millions of books available out there. Getting some help from a friend or family member is also an easy way to learn and build a relationship along the way. Get creative and have some fun with this.

Since I’m in a quote type of mood today, we can finish with this one by John Lennon; “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making plans.”