Lifelong Learning Attributes for Career Advancement - Perspectives from Chinese Proverbs

What do I mean by lifelong learning
attributes for career advancement? How will				3. The Love For Learning Never Tires You
these benefit you as a career newbie seeking
career success and advancement? What does it				Pronounced "Hao Xue Bu Juan" in Mandarin it
mean by lifelong learning?				is loosely translated, as the love for
				learning should never tire you. The first two
As someone new to the working world, I am				lifelong learning attributes talk about
sure a lot of you are eager to advance				continuous learning and no boundaries.
quickly through the corporate ranks. You want				Learning is dynamic. It is ever moving, ever
to gain that promotion as fast as possible.				changing. Hence, we should never be tired of
But gaining that advancement isn't one big				it. When you have the stamina for
step. It is made up of many small steps. In				self-cultivation then the rewards are
these small steps you should carry with you				manifolds in life.
lifelong learning attributes. It is these
lifelong learning attributes that will make				So it is in our professional life, you must
you gain the skills and knowledge required				never be tired of learning. The stamina for
for further growth.				continuous learning is a basic requirement
				for career advancement. Pacing yourself in
And you will discover that growth is not just				the marathon of your career and learning each
from a professional point of view but also as				step of the way without being tried of the
a person. So what is lifelong learning? Quite				process greatly increase your chances of
simply, it means continuous self-cultivation.				advancement.

The Chinese have a set of proverbs that I				4. Only After Learning, Do You Know What You
feel truly reflects what lifelong learning				Do Not Know
attributes are. I have penned them down with
some explanation of what they mean and how				This lifelong learning attribute forces you
you can put them into practice as part of				to self-reflect. Self-reflection is an
your formula for career advancement.				important process in self-directed learning.
				In Mandarin it is pronounced, "Xue Er Hou Zhi
1. Continue to Learn in The Journey of Life				Bu Zu". Translated - it means that only after
				learning we know what we do not know. This
In Mandarin, it is pronounced "Huo Dao Lao,				lifelong learning attribute of
Xue Dao Lao". Learning is an intrinsic part				self-reflection creates a sense of
of existence. As we live and grow old, we				insufficiency and thus generates an intrinsic
should never stop learning. In every life				want to learn.
stage, there are more things to learn. It
shouldn't stop.				In our workplace, think about what you have
				learned and how have this made you realize
So it is with our professional life, in every				what little you know. I implore you to
step of the corporate ladder there are new				self-reflect on what little you know. Only
things to learn. Learning is a continuous				this will make you improve yourself be it
cycle. It should not stop. If you want career				skills or knowledge.
advancement, internalize one of the life long
learning attributes - continuous learning.				5. Three Persons Walking One Is Bound To Be
The moment we stop we regress. Just because				My Teacher
you feel you have learned everything at that
stage doesn't mean you stop. This brings me				Amongst all the life long learning
to the next lifelong learning attribute.				attributes, this is one of my favorite. I
				like it because it gives learning a sense of
2. There Are No Limits To Learning				holism and humility. In Mandarin it is
				pronounced as "San Ren Sin Pi You Wo Shi",
In Mandarin, it is pronounced "Xue Wu Zhi				translated to mean if there were three
Jing". It means there are no limits to				persons walking one is bound to be my
learning. The earlier lifelong learning				teacher. We can all learn from one another
attribute speaks about continuity. This				regardless of the demographic profiles and
speaks about no boundaries. You should not				other parameters you want to envelope it.
limit the fields of what you learn. In life,
if we are to improve ourselves, learning is				To adapt this lifelong learning attribute,
infinite.				you need to be humble. Be mature enough to
				know anyone can teach us anything. The adage
In our professional life, we should approach				that the teacher appears when the student is
what we learn as infinite too. What we can				ready is true when it comes to this
learn is limitless; when you feel you have				particular lifelong learning attribute that
mastered a skill - perfect it. When you feel				speaks about humility.
you have perfected a skill, learn new ones.
When you gain new knowledge and feel it is				So, you want career advancement? Try
your advantage, you will soon lose it.				internalizing these lifelong learning
Because in our fast paced world, others catch				attributes of continuous learning, learning
up the moment you stop learning. Amongst the				has no boundaries, the stamina to keep
life longlearning attributes, this one speaks				learning, the sense of insufficiency and most
about limitless.				of all the attribute of humility.

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Lifelong Learning Attributes for Career Advancement - Perspectives from Chinese Proverbs