Is Lifelong Learning Hard?

I searched for the definition of lifelong learning.  The definitions were as varied as the number of hits in my search results.  My favorite, "continuing to acquire knowledge and skills, through both formal and informal education, throughout one's life" was found at the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations website, http://www.careerkokua.org/glossary/, on Sept. 4, 2011.


I feel that the hardest thing about lifelong learning is realizing that we are responsible for our own learning opportunities.  A recent school assignment outlined several habits of lifelong learning.  Habit One is creating your goal.  Having goals is easy, achieving those goals is hard.  The second habit, accepting responsibility for your learning (first step to reaching your goals), is harder.  


For me, taking that first step in learning something new is the scariest habit to conquer.  I have to show up at class or I have to seek help from people in cyber world.  In other words, I have to put myself out there for others to see, hear, or encounter.  This is scary to me.  Once I accept that I have to take that step and initiate that habit, I am fine.  


The purchase of my Xterra provided the opportunities to work through the learning habits.  In addition, I had to discover new ways of using technology.  In 2002 I learned how to use website forums to seek knowledge regarding the proper use and maintenance of my truck.  Since then Web 2.0 has played a role, albeit a small one, in my learning experiences.  I  have been a reluctant W2.0 user.  I barely use my use my twitter account, I neglected my blog for a long time, and I have been remiss in learning to use other Web2.0 tools.