Rules successful people live by

They always keep a student mind.

WHILE  we were all born with a desire to learn, somewhere along the line, many of us lose our passion for learning. The pressure to excel in life with emphasis on exam scores takes away the joy that comes from learning. 

Whatever the reasons, once the basics are covered, many people tend to stick with what they know.¹ They also avoid the difficulty in learning something new. Successful people are so because they learn in a systematic and result-oriented way. Thus, they learn faster and better than everyone else.

Many people wonder how they can be successful. They do not know they hold within themselves everything they need to succeed.² Successful people set rules and standards in their habits. Habits determine 95% of one’s behavior; as a result, a unique learning style. These rules incorporated into the behavior of successful people make them do things differently. They lead to a remarkable learning style that in turn makes them learn faster and better. Thus, we have compiled six rules successful people live by to learn faster and better than everyone else.

They don’t memorize information but connect things together

Human beings are capable of forming patterns and connections. Computers can perform calculations at rates of millions per seconds. We can form connections, patterns than we can memorize information. Successful people don’t memorize! Learning via connections makes learning any subject easier. It is important to make connections between ideas. Learning faster isn’t magic. It is a process of figuring out what you do when you learn well and trying to repeat that more often. It’s about avoiding the trap of memorization. Thus, successful people learn faster and better by connecting patterns in a task.

They don’t multi-task when they learn

Multitasking is an unfortunate pleasure we’ve developed in this era.³ This era of constant notifications and mo bile applications. Text messages and emails might seem harmless, but they can divert one’s attention from the task at hand. John D. Rockefeller wrote,

“Do not many of us who fail to achieve big things fail because we lack concentration — the art of concentrating the mind on the thing to be done at the proper time and to the exclusion of everything else?”.

From checking emails to scrolling through twitter, this prevents one from learning faster. Think about your own computer. When you have 15 different tabs open on your browser, your computer begins to slow down. This takes longer to process every action. Successful people learn faster and better by setting their devices on airplane mode. So, no distractions.

They learn difficult concepts by repetitive practice

Mastering anything faster requires practice.⁴ Learning requires persistence in performing the same skill over and over again. This is until one can do it without thinking about it, that is to say it becomes automatic. Successful people understand this “secret” to learning faster and becoming the best. Remarkable-level performance is the result of repetitive practice, not due to innate talent. Successful people know that repetition of concept improves assimilation and speeds up learning.

They consult experts to save time and effort

Another learning style of successful people is not to master it alone. They save time and effort by getting help from someone who’s already learned it. To achieve mastery faster, it is important to consult the top players in the field. As Robbins puts it:

“Many great leaders have proven that the fastest way to master any skill, strategy or goal in life is to model those who have already forged the path ahead”.

Successful people find someone who is already getting the results that they want. This is to take the same actions they are taking, to get the same results. There is a saying that experience is the best teacher. Some people interpret it as learning from their own successes and failures. Successful people focus on learning from others to learn better.

They make use of the 80/20 rule

Successful people reconstruct the task they see. They see it at its basic, fundamental components. They break the task down into parts and find the most important things to practice first. This is a remarkable learning style. They use the Pareto principle. This describes getting 80 percent of result by putting in 20 percent effort. The goal is to separate the 20 percent of our learning materials that will give one 80 percent of the result. As it turns out, fast-learning experts have already embraced this ideology. Learn the most important subset skills within that time frame to get the greatest of impact.

They always keep a student mind

They don’t refer to themselves as “experts” in any field. The expert status assumes the position that one has reached the fullest potential. It implies one has attained a thrilling pinnacle in one’s career. Also, that your thirst for knowledge in a particular area has reduced. Successful people learn faster and better by their continuous willingness to learn and inquisitiveness. Having the mind of a student! That’s what sets successful people apart: They never stop learning.  – By Amber McNaught