Thing 2: 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

You could change the name of any library to The Center for LifeLong Learning because libraries inspire, foster creativity, teach people to appreciate diversity, promote critical thinking and they're a gathering place for anyone craving a knowledge fix. Libraries rock!

I like the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners.

1. Begin and end in the mind
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning
3. View problems as a challenge
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
5. Create your own learning toolbox
6. Use technology to your advantage
7. Teach/mentor others
7 1/2 Play

For me, the hardest is the first one, especially when it comes to learning new technology. If I can see an authentic reason for doing it, then I'm on board. But if I need to learn something just because it's a new technology, then my luddite tendencies creep in and I find learning difficult.

Why is my favorite habit "play" only a 1/2 habit? I take play very seriously. It gets your creative juices going and lets you think with both sides of your brain. Play deserves to be a whole number. If we make play the 8th habit, then we lose the "play" on the Stephen Covey book. But there are other steps that could turn to a half step. Keep play whole.

Here are two quotes about play and I think they do a good job illustrating why it's essential:

"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. " Carl Jung

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. " George Bernard Shaw

By the way, one of my hobbies is collecting quotes so this blog will be filled with them.