Why Education Is Key To Unlocking Your Full Potential

When I was a kid, I remember coming home from school and my mom asking, “What did you learn today?”

I used to roll my eyes. I mean, after hours of being cooped up in a classroom, school was the last thing I wanted to talk about. Now as a mom, I ask my kids the very same question. But just as important, I ask myself. 

The key to freedom — financially, spiritually, physically — is education. 

That’s why I make it a point to learn something new every day. 

Learning something new doesn’t have to be complex. But it needs to be a priority if you want to achieve your goals. No matter how far along you are at goal achievement, there is always room for improvement. And even if you’re unsure of what you want to do, educating yourself can teach you things like what you like and don’t like, and what you’re good at. 

For a long time, I was complacent with my life. I had a solid career, and from the outside, everything seemed positive. However internally, I was struggling. I disliked my life at home. I felt like I was punching in and out of work, instead of enjoying what I was doing. 

I realized I wasn’t living for myself. I wasn’t pursuing my interests — there wasn’t anything “new” or “exciting” I was learning. I needed to challenge myself. 

Knowing I wanted to help others, I decided furthering my education at law school was the best route for me. But in the process, I learned a lot about myself. I realized the best way to succeed in practice was to start a business. I prioritized learning how to run a law firm, and with my husband, established Z.A. Lawyers. Today, we’re in two states, helping hard-working people with workers’ compensation claims, people who have been severely injured, and families of victims of wrongful death. 

Education is what leads me to achieve my goals, and a prioritization of learning is what keeps me from being complacent. 

That’s what really matters. 

All the time, I hear people complaining about what they don’t have, or what they can’t do. The majority of the time, they are chronic excuse-makers. They’re people who don’t prioritize education, or learning — people who don’t challenge themselves. 

Goal achievement doesn’t just happen. It takes stepping out of your comfort zone. It’s like the old cliché, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

By “education,” I don’t just mean going to school. Sure, if you learn the best route for your personal goal achievement is going to college, grad school, law school, find a way to make it happen. But with access to virtually anything you want to learn, there’s no excuse why you can’t teach yourself something new every day. 

However, people make excuses. If you say, “I don’t have time,” you’re probably just prioritizing time poorly. You’re staying out late on Friday nights and wasting your weekend hungover. You scroll social media in the parking lot of your kid’s soccer practice instead of listening to a podcast, or reading a book. You’re hitting snooze in the morning to get an extra 20 minutes of sleep. 

Over time, the bad habit of making excuses turns into complacency. Life is happening to you, and around you, instead of you taking control of your life, and doing what YOU want to do. 

You have the ability to learn every single day. Harvard literally publicizes computer science classes — you can take them for free online. You can learn to run Facebook ads and sell products on an Amazon storefront. You can take your love of cooking and turn it into a business if you learn how to market yourself and your recipes. 

Nothing is impossible with education. 

And the fact that we live in an era where you can learn anything you want, whenever you want makes it easier than ever to improve yourself and achieve your goals. 

Find courses to subjects you want to learn more about. Participate in online communities and learn from people who have the same interests. Network and find people in your life who are doing some of the things you want to do — ask if they would mentor you. 

Take control of your life, and achieve your goals, by educating yourself. There is no greater way to live the life that you want to live than education. 

-- 

Thanks for reading!