Why Self-Education Is Essential For Success
By Coach Frank Sagasta 2023
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one learned in school.”
– Albert Einstein
Self-education refers to learning in its purest form. It is taking on the task of gaining wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and insight for the sake of one’s own benefit. Of course, real leaders want to pass on this insight to others. However, in adulthood there’s no curriculum holding us accountable to learning and advancing ourselves in life or our careers.
Whether we put in the time to become experts in our field is left up to us. Whether we ask ourselves the questions; what’s important in life, what’s the greatest value or how to go about learning to develop ourselves in a way that will be truly satisfying is left up to us alone.
What does “Success” truly mean? Earl Nightingale describes success as a worth idea — Jim Rohn describes success as the steady progress toward your personal goals. Goals designed by you, not someone else. There is no uniform definition of “success.” We each have an absolutely unique understanding of what it would mean to have lived a successful life. We may want financial success, relationship success, spiritual success, success in making self-developments in the field we work in, all of the above, or anything else we think is important to living happily in a way that makes us content.
The only way to define “success” objectively is the following:
- Wake up with a WHY.
- Setting a goal.
- Pursuit of that goal.
- Achievement of that goal.
- Purpose of meaning within the goal.
If I succeed at something, it is because I had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish, I worked to make it happen, and ultimately, the goal I had in heart and mind when I started.
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” ― Isaac Asimov
Why Self-Education Is The Key To Success?
In 1959, Augustine "Og" Mandino was a teetering alcoholic. He soon found himself a library to get out of the rain. There, he discovered self-help books and was especially impressed by "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude" by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone. This book changed his life for ever. He is a successful businessman and writer.
If I haven’t been clear enough, when I say “success,” I’m not only referring to financial gain of material assets or bullshit like that — Financial success is one aspect of living the lives we want or dream about, but is it really the pinnacle success? Nevertheless, successful living is about continuing to develop our capacity for creating the lives we desire within our heart. When we get out of school, whether we drop out of high school, finish college or drop of college thinking that our education is complete is a major concern or mistake.
Jim Rohn once said: “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” Formal education gives us the tools we need to become life-long learners, but continued learning gives us the tools to become life-long doers and achievers.
One of the key benefits of self-education is the freedom it provides. Unlike formal education, which often follows a predetermined standard time, curriculum, and state standardized testing. Self-education allows individuals to choose what they want to learn and when they want to learn it. This flexibility enables individuals to explore their interests, passions, creativity, and to delve deeper into subjects that truly captivate them.
Self-education also fosters a sense of independence and self-reliance. Whereas certain educational institutions train individuals what to think versus how to think. When the motivation for self-learning occurs. The individual(s) taking responsibility for their own learning, individuals develop important skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and self-discipline. They learn how to set goals, manage their time effectively, and seek out resources and information on their own. These skills are not only valuable in the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, but also in all aspects of life.
Furthermore, self-education encourages a love of learning for its own sake. When individuals have the freedom to choose what they want to learn, they are more likely to be motivated, inspired, enthusiastic, and engaged in the process. They can explore topics that truly interest them, and pursue knowledge, wisdom, and understanding at their own pace. This intrinsic motivation leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subject matter, and a lifelong love of learning. In fact, it also provides those interested to explore new questions too!!
In today's modern digital age, self-education has become more accessible than ever before. Jane Teague wrote a wonderful books about this phenomenon. The internet provides a wealth of resources, from online courses and tutorials to e-books and educational videos. There are also online communities and forums where individuals can connect with like-minded learners and share their knowledge and experiences. With the right tools and resources, anyone can embark on a journey of self-education and expand their knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and skill-set. We all have the abundance of resources available today. Self-education has become more accessible and achievable for everyone because of our digital transformation. However, not everyone believes in this concept but by embracing self-education, individuals can unlock their full potential and continue to learn and grow throughout their lives.
Of course, the real question we have to ask ourselves is whether we’re doing the learning that is required of us to achieve the successful lives we want?, why does my phone distract me from achieving any worth goal? Or what’s standing in between us and the achievement of any life-goals we have are:
- Knowledge
- Patience
- The understanding we need to use the knowledge we have to adequately pursue our goal.
How you gain the necessary knowledge and understanding starts with asking yourself the right questions. Self-education means to stop accepting who you already are and start living in a way that embodies who you want to become. Take a moment to truly reflect on that thought provoking statement above — then look at your life and evaluate yourself. Are you happy? Are you healthy? Do you have as much time as you want? Do you have fulfilling relationships? Are there aspects of yourself you would like to develop and work on? Are you satisfied with the quality of your life? Could you be more than you’ve been lately? If the answer to any of these questions is no, are you doing anything to push towards any of these goals? If the answer to THAT as no, then you need to accept that nothing is ever going to change.
If the answer to that is yes, awesome. Is your strategy working? If your strategy is working, keep pushing. If your strategy isn’t working, why not? How can you alter your strategy to be more “successful?” These types of questions are ultimately the only ones that let us see the gap in between who we are and who we want to be. And they’re the same questions that allow us to question how to fill that space. Now once you’ve narrowed down what’s missing in your life, pursuit of filling those gaps is the next step.
Three important considerations here:
- Circumstances are a part of life, learn from them and move forward.
- Books or audiobooks are your best-friends.
- Free courses in person or via zoom are available.
- Developing willpower is a huge part of self-education.
- Sharing what you learn helps to lock in the learning experience.
Every single question you have has been in answered in a book or voice somewhere. Self-education is a two-step process that includes learning and action on the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Learning requires you to open up your heart & mind through the help of those who came before you. Here’s a list of 25 of my favorite books related to different self-help topics:
- The Bible (Proverbs)
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude" by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone.
- As A Man Think by James Allen
- Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- Declutter Your Mind by S.J. Scott
- The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Think Great by Adam Grant
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
- The Power of Self-Discipline By Brian Tracy
- Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge
- The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
- Limitless by Jim Kwik
With gratitude,
Coach Frank Sagasta
(c) coachingbeyond 2023
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