<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I started to learn English in 8th grade (in Taiwan). I was getting good at it and was able to get high GRE score to be admitted to a graduate school in LA. When I landed at LAX at the age of 24, I found I couldn’t understand what the immigration officer asked me to do. I was shocked and felt powerless.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">That's an example of not be able to apply what I had learned even though the knowledge was in my head.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In this article, I will discuss what it takes to apply what we've learned to our business.</p>
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<p>We are learning every day. How well do we apply what we have learned? To answer that question, maybe we can ask ourselves another question. - What can I do now that I couldn’t do a year ago? What have I done to generate this result?</p>
<p>For example, I have always been afraid of water since I was very little. I couldn’t swim. A year ago, during a coaching training, I was asked to do a physical activity I didn’t usually do. I chose to swim. I went to a pool three times a week. I practiced and practiced. Every time when I practiced, I built upon the lesson learned from the previous practice. A year later, I conquered my fear and started to swim. </p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">What's your story? Could you think of an example? Take a moment here and give it a thought. </p>
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<p>Here are a few tips about learning in action. With your story in mind, check out these tips.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><strong>1. The learning has to align with your business vision.</strong></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">If you don’t have a vision for your business, you need to define them as soon as possible. When it is in place, you know where you are going with your business and you know what you need to learn for your business to grow. </p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><strong>2.</strong> <strong>The learning has to be important enough for you to make a commitment.</strong></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">Make sure the learning you pick up is important enough to make a difference to your world. Swimming might not be important to my world. To have the experience to conquer my fear from childhood is important for me as a coach. When I get past my major fear, I know I can support my clients to deal with their major fear. </p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><strong>3.</strong> <strong>Mean what you say and honor your commitment.</strong></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">Everyone who has raised teenagers knows the power of honoring your words. If you don’t honor your words; your teens won’t honor theirs. When you mean what you say and they mean what they say, your family is usually in peace eve if the hormones are running them from time to time. If you haven’t quite got to that stage in your life, maybe it’s a good time to establish the habit. Making a commitment to practice your learning is to declare your intention to the universe. It's going to happen! Your words are powerful beyond what you can imagine.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><strong>4.</strong> <strong>Reflect regularly by writing.</strong> </p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">Writing is a powerful reflection tool. Writing makes you put your thoughts into words that are concrete and visible. Through the writing process,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you see how you are doing with your learning and applications. New thoughts will come up and make a difference to your practice.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><strong>5.</strong> <strong>Get a coach</strong> </p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">My teen was my swimming coach. After she watched me in a practice, she said “I don’t understand why you struggled as if you were drowning. This pool is only 4-feet deep and there is no way you could drown.” The next practice, that’s what I told myself and it made a huge difference. A skillful coach usually can point out the obvious that we overlook and change our frame of reference.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><strong>6. Practice, practice and practice</strong></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">Learning without practice is only storing knowledge in our head. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s why I couldn’t understand the immigration officer. Practicing to apply our learning is to move us into action. My listening skill has been improving since I practice daily now.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">All of my workshops provide opportunity for participants to practice what they learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We all learn better by taking actions.</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in">When you have these tips in mind while learning, you might notice that you are applying what you learned and your business is growing through your actions.</p>
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2008-08-11T05:55:01Z
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growing-your-business-by-learning-in-action
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2008-08-12T22:02:30Z
2008-08-12T22:02:30Z
We are learning every day. How well do you apply what you have learned? This article offers 6 simple tips on learning and taking actions.
Growing Your Business by Learning in Action
0
2009-02-24T09:45:28Z