Never Stop Learning

I attended a party recently where someone said to me, “People don’t change much as they age unless they continue to grow.”  In other words, when we stop growing, we become boring.  This thought intrigued me, so I did some checking and found there is a great deal of truth associated with it. As, singer, musician and songwriter, Loretta Lynn put it, “I don’t know what it’s like for a book writer or a doctor or a teacher as they work to get established in their jobs.  But for a singer, you’ve got to continue to grow or else you’re just like last night’s cornbread—stale and dry.” So, how do we go about the business of continuing to grow?  The answer is to try something new, something different—something beyond what you’ve already mastered.  For example, try writing the lyrics for a song, get active in your community, help someone in need, take a class at a community college or join a club. We’re surrounded by countless opportunities for growth; all we have to do is take advantage of them.  As philosopher William James once stated: “The minute a man ceases to grow, no matter what his years, that minute he begins go be old.”