Do you invest in learning new things for your business, or for yourself?

There is so much available these days, and with all of the courses and trainings that are included in bundle sales these days, it’s easy to not only have a huge amount of learning to choose from, but it’s also easy to get overwhelmed by it all.

Answer me this: How many courses and trainings have you purchased over the past year, but not done anything with yet?

Don’t worry, there’s no judgement here. Because I’ve got a whole slew of courses and webinar replays, and other stuff that I haven’t looked at yet either.

But, it’s so important that we do keep learning new things to improve our businesses and ourselves, and today I’ve got six reasons why that is.

Here are six reasons to keep learning new things for your business:

Reason #1: There’s always more to learn

The first reason for learning new things is simple: there’s always more to learn. And it’s easy to think you know everything you need to know, but…

Especially as an online business owner, it’s important to keep your skills and knowledge current. Because things move fast around here and what works now could be gone in the blink of an eye.

Let me give you an example… The current explosion of A.I. taking over the content and digital product creation world. I think we all knew it was coming, but I don’t think anyone predicted how quickly it would consume the market the way it has.

Do you know how to make the best use of tools like MidJourney and ChatGPT?

I’ll be very honest with you… I don’t, and I’m regretting not having jumped on it when the trend first started. I’m catching up now, but I let myself get behind because I’m pretty set in my ways, and I don’t like change.

And it’s not that I don’t love learning new things, because I do! But the whole thought of artificial intelligence scares me a bit, and so I stuck my head in the sand and let it go. And now I’m playing catch-up. And it’s honestly not a fun place to be.

A.I. has completely changed the content creation space, and what worked even a couple of months ago, doesn’t so nearly as well now.

Don’t be like me. Even if you don’t like the thought of something new changing the way you do things, at least take the time to learn about it and see whether or not there’s a place for it in your business.

That’s the biggest reason for learning new things when it comes to your business.

Now, on to the rest…

Reason #2: Learning new things helps to improve your skills

Things like workshops and even YouTube videos can help to improve your skills, and teach you new things. YouTube is a veritable gold mine when it comes to people whoi are willing to teach you and help you improve, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg either!

Just like in the A.I. example, I used to believe I couldn’t learn through video and so whenever my son would tell me to look up what I wanted to do on YouTube, I’d say yeah, yeah, I can’t just watch a video and learn.

Boy, was I wrong!

Just this week I’ve learned a few new things like:

• How to add automatic captioning to my videos using software I already had;
• How to create a full-page screen-shot so I can use it in a presentation;
• A new way to think about how I create opt-in and free offers;
• And, a few more ways to repurpose blog posts into even more content.

I’d say that’s a pretty good week for adding new skills, and improving existing ones.

Reason #3 – Learning new things keeps your brain healthy

There’s a growing body of knowledge that shows that using your brain in new ways keeps you healthier. Just like if you don’t use your legs, your muscles start to atrophy, the same is true for your brain if it’s not actively learning new things.

According to experts, challenging the mind helps to keep it strong, and can even provide some defense against certain forms of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, “Anything that engages your mind, processes information and develops your thinking skills is good for the brain and reducing your risk” of Alzheimer’s Disease.

So, all the things you need to learn to keep your business healthy are going to help keep your brain healthy too. Especially if you’re of a certain age.

Reason #4: Learning new things keeps you ahead of the crowd

I should pay attention to my own rules and reasons more!

I’m not saying you need to jump on every course or workshop out there, but you can’t get complacent about learning new things when it comes to online business. Just because you’re on top and doing well now, there are always new people entering your niche, and bringing new skills and ways of doing things with them.

If you don’t want to get left behind, then you do need to pay attention to what’s happening in your niche. It also helps to pay attention to your own personal growth too, and learning new things about productivity and your own habits can give you and edge too.

Reason #5: Learning new things is a great way to network

New learning experiences are a great way to meet like-minded people and build friendships and relationships. Some of my best friends are people that I met and spent a lot of time with at university, and online many of the people I count as friends I’ve met through workshops or memberships that focused on learning new things.

In The Power of Learning New Things Together the author quotes a psychiatrist that says “Learning new things together strengthens bonds because it is at those moments we can show our vulnerability to one another.”

The article was mostly about couples learning together, but it’s the same premise can be used when you’re in a business situation learning something new as well.

Reason #6: Learning new things helps you sort through large chunks of information

Depending on how you consume your information, learning new things can help you sort through huge amounts of content in order to find the pieces that resonate with you and can help you move forward in your business.

Things like newsletters, podcasts, and even workshops can distill a large amount of information down into digestible bites that let you find the gold nuggets that are going to work for you.

Final Thoughts

Investing in learning new things for your business should be just that… an investment. It’s easy to get caught up in the “have to learning everything now” trap that turns from being an investment into being a huge time and money waster.

Be strategic in your choices. There’s a lot of choice out there when it comes to learning new things for your business. You don’t have to learn it all, so start with what you need to move your business and your life forward and go from there!

Learning new things for your business can have a huge payoff in many areas. From staying ahead of the trends and embracing new ideas, to keeping your brain healthy and allowing you to meet new people, adding new ideas and ways of working to your repertoire can help you achieve your goals.

If you take even 30 minutes a day to learn something new, that can add up to huge amounts of new knowledge that you can put to work for you over the course of a month, or year. Even in a week, you could come across something that is just the piece you needed to put your whole picture together!

Happy learning!