Don't update your status; update yourself

Don't update your status; update yourself


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SALT LAKE CITY — Obtaining a college degree to solidify a high-paying job and to support a family has been a theory long preached by adults. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 66.2 percent of Utahns over 25 years old have had at least some experience in college. But, is college enough?

The development of measurable, marketable and useable skills is what will set you apart from the other 66.2 percent of Utahns. Just like girls want boyfriends who have great skills, businesses want employees with valuable, marketable skills. They want experts. Once you have your diploma hanging up on your wall, you cannot stop learning and developing yourself professionally.

When you update your next social media status, ask yourself, “When was the last time I updated myself?”

Updating yourself takes patience, priority, time, practice and performance. Because I am in the military and we like confusing acronyms, I will use one in an attempt to help you remember how to update yourself: I call it PPTPP.

Patience

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When was the last time you tried to learn something for the first time? Learning a new skill takes a great deal of patience. When my wife tried to teach me the fundamentals of violin, I picked it up and immediately expected to be able to play Tchaikovsky's violin concerto while busting out some hypnotic dance moves like Lindsey Stirling. Well, in reality, I can play "Twinkle Twinkle" with a sound similar to a symphony of dying cats.

With a little bit of patience, whatever skill you are seeking to develop in your personal life, you can become an expert. Keep working at it and implement the additional principles for updating yourself: priority, time, practice and performance, and soon people will be asking you where you got your update.

Priority

Each day it seems that there are lifetimes of information generated. This can be a valuable asset or an opportunity to develop unproductive time-wasting skills (which no one is in the market for). We must learn to filter out information that distracts us and knocks us off the road to awesomeness. Updating yourself needs to be a priority. Time is going to go by no matter what. You may as well put something on your planner that will help you excel in your professional, academic and family life. Remember, if you do not fill your planner, the Time Thief will gladly do it for you.

Time

Use time wisely. Spend time each day developing and updating yourself. Track your progress. Create a portfolio of your professional development. Be ready always to discuss new trends in technology, art, math, science or whatever industry you are involved in. As you continue to become an expert in your field, you may find that you are the source for cutting-edge information.


Perfect practice makes perfect.

–Vince Lombardi


There are many free resources available to help us along the path toward success. Utilizing your time to study about the things you are passionate about will help accelerate your professional development. Would you like to learn to build apps? Go to Stanford and take a course on Objective C. How about business from Oxford or Ethics from Harvard? There are a myriad of courses available to everyone as a free online resource. Use your time to give yourself an update today.

Practice

The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi explained that “perfect practice makes perfect.” As you continue to learn and develop yourself, things will get awkward. But that's OK — the time to make mistakes is during practice, not during your performance. Practice is the cure for inadequacy. The more you work at your skills the better you will become. Success does not come for free; practice is the price you must pay.

Performance

Performing is a way to hold yourself accountable. If you do not have a deadline for which you will be required to perform, updating yourself will not be a priority. Whether it’s a presentation, a sales call or a marathon, your performance becomes a visual manifestation of the patience, time and practice you have put forth. It shows whether or not success was a priority. Your deadline will serve as a motivating force to get you moving during the day.

No matter your circumstances in life, try learning something new. Develop a new skill that you are passionate about. Experiment with PPTPP. Become the best at what you do. Blaze a new trail, become an expert and see where the path takes you.

Dustin Wiggins is a local optimist and entrepreneur. He started Camistin Publishing and has developed "The Basics," a series of language acquisition products. He loves to read and will often write on his blog at www.LessonsOfWisdom.com.

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