Learning is Selfish
Or is it?
Earlier today I came across a business owner that was asking a question pertaining to learning more. He wanted to learn more in order that his business could present a better offer for their customers. I could tell by the way that the question was asked the he does not have a good grasp on what the need of his customer base is. To him, the best way to find his customer’s need was to get more information for himself. To learn more and grow as a person.
And that is when it dawned on me: Learning might be selfish.
I am not saying that we shouldn’t learn. In fact, I think it is really important to learn new things. I just think that we need to see learning for what it is: It is a way to grow ourselves. And if we approach it that way, then we will be just fine.
Here is the rebuttal: What if we are learning something so that we can impact others? Maybe you are in college studying to be a doctor, or a teacher. Both of those professions are pretty selfless. Doctors and teachers both have the ability to save an individual’s life in different ways. So how is learning selfish for them? Because the learning is for them. Putting their knowledge to work is when it becomes selfless. That is when we make an impact. This is why you see so many brilliant people who are so depressed. Because they think that they need to keep all of that knowledge couped up.
I will admit, I kind of used the word “selfish” for dramatic effect. And obviously the word “selfish” carries a negative connotation. But in terms of this article, I am not saying that being selfish is always a bad thing. In my opinion, learning truly becomes selfish when you hold on to all that you know and keep others from benefiting from it. Or you learn something new with the intention to give that piece away, so that you can hold onto what you already know. An example of this is trying to make more money so that you can be generous. To me, generosity is not making more so that you can give, it is giving from what you already have. Sharing your knowledge in a selfless way is giving away what you already know, not learning new skills so that you can hoard what you are already proficient in.
Have you ever heard the phrase: Work yourself out of a job? The idea is that you teach and equip everyone around you so well that when you are gone, nothing changes. It is one of my favorite ways to operate. Maybe you are in a position at work where you lead people, but you are constantly keeping them from growing because you don’t want your job to be in jeopardy. Here is the crazy thing, to be the best leader/employee that you can be is to teach everyone that is under you, everything that you know. Not only will you find joy in watching others grow because of your willingness to teach them, but it will also lessen your work load. It’s a win win in my book.
So be selfish when you learn, but be selfless with the information that you already have. When you find something new, make it all about you. Soak up as much of it as you can. And then turn around and give it all back to someone else.
