Written By: Lauretta Onwuegbuzie
Are you thirsty for knowledge? Do you feel like you don’t really know how to take advantage of all the opportunities for learning around you? Then your want to keep reading this.
“Knowledge is the new gold”. I’m sure you must have heard this phrase before. Now more than ever in Nigeria, people have become very interested in increasing their knowledge, especially as many young people are now embracing entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation.
To help entrepreneurs and even professionals do better in their work life and be more
productive, there is this quest for knowledge of the fundamental principles of life, how to live a happy and fulfilling life, how to do things better and easier.
Here are some simple ways to quench that hunger for knowledge that you might have been
experiencing without having to take a “masterclass” winks.
● Read books
There’s a popular saying that, “readers are leaders”. No matter what kind of information you are looking for, you will find it in a book. There’s so much treasure hidden in books, and if you take your time to read regularly you will never go lacking in knowledge.
Today apps like Okadabooks, Any Books, and websites like www.pdfdrive.net allows you to download e-copies of books for free or a very subsidized price. The great thing is that you have a wide range of books to choose from depending on what you’re curious about.
● Travel
Traveling is another way of acquiring knowledge. You get to learn about each place, it’s history, culture and traditions by moving from city to city. You can greatly improve on your knowledge of your world. Traveling is a very worthwhile investment and you don’t even need to go to far places in Europe. There are many interesting sites to visit in your own country for example, Nigeria. I can confidently say that I have learnt more about each state of Nigeria by traveling there, than in my History class. There are so many stories behind places and locations that you might not find on the internet. Also these stories are better experienced than heard.
I personally had heard a lot about how peaceful Ibadan in Nigeria was, but until I traveled there recently, I only had hearsay knowledge about it. Now, I have experienced the calm ambience of the state and I learnt interesting stories about the people too.
● Ask lots of questions
Anyone who is hungry for knowledge, should never be shy when it comes to asking questions.
Apps like Quora, makes it even more interesting to share knowledge by asking questions, and
getting a number of accurate responses to the questions from knowledgeable people. Endeavor to ask questions and share your thoughts whenever you go for networking events.
That way you can connect with both the speakers and the attendees. Gone are the days of
being “shy” and not wanting to sound like a “dummy”.
● Invest in data, YouTube videos and Online courses
Now I’ve seen many people say that they want to teach stuff for a fee. These are things that can be learnt easily by watching Tedx videos, YouTube videos, reading articles on Medium and learning from online courses. You can take online courses on LinkedIn learning, EDx, Coursera, Alison, etc. Most of these courses come with certifications to show for what you have learnt. Most times, people are just too lazy to research for information by themselves. There are over 3000 inspiring Tedx videos to watch. Imagine yourself watching one video everyday, you will be learning a whole lot.
● Use your social media effectively
Do not underestimate how much you can learn from social media. The mistake some people
make is that their social media timeline is filled with a lot of distracting things like funny videos and memes. Before you know it, you’re spending an hour scrolling through your phone laughing and all that time has been unproductive.
You might want to consider following people like @adaora.lumina, @moneyafrica, @tomiebalogun, and a host of others on Instagram and people like @chude, @ogbenidipo,
@akinalabi on twitter.
● Surround yourself with people who are also hungry for knowledge
Your circle is very important. The people you surround yourself with, determine how far you can go sometimes. You can consider joining a book club or an online community of readers to
motivate you into reading more books. Your friends should also be as curious as you are. That
way you can share your knowledge and opinions.
● Don’t be afraid to wonder!
Sometimes you get curious about things but then you might shrug it off as nothing. Never feel
like you wonder too much. It’s great to wonder, to be curious, to want to know more.
Here’s a tip, write down things you get curious about and then fix a time to do some research about it all every week. You will be on a learning spree!!
So here are just a few tips to learning more everyday if you’re hungry for knowledge.
Cheers to you and happy learning!
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