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Lifelong learning is a phrase we hear thrown about quite a bit these days. To succeed, one must be committed to lifelong learning; to better oneself, one must be come a lifelong learner; to help your children or employees develop, you must instill the desire for lifelong learning into them.

That’s all well and good, but empty platitudes are just that, empty, unless there is meaning behind this. So what does all this really mean?

Lifelong learning is a commitment to continually growing your knowledge and skills, regardless of what they may be. You could be learning how to cook or advanced calculus or the opinion of a trusted friend. It really doesn’t make a difference. What you learn is important, but that isn’t the big idea here. Rather, it’s the linkages that can be built.

For example, let’s look at cooking. You might go, “Hey, great, learning to cook is good, then I can eat well.” Sure, that’s true, if you do learn to cook well, you can open up a whole new world of culinary delight, able to eat dishes equal to any restaurant, but in the comfort of your home and at a fraction of the price.

But what about if we look at how else cooking might fit into our lives. Better nutrition, a new hobby, something to do with your friends and family. Maybe you’ll like it and want to start sharing it, so you’ll host dinner parties. Maybe you’ll start making new connections at these parties that’ll lead to new opportunities. Yes, I’ve taken the initial point kind of far, but that’s the true value in lifelong learning, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Like the what, they where is equally unimportant. Maybe you’re taking classes at school, or perhaps you’re reading a few books, or maybe you’re just having an interesting conversation or debate with friends. Either way, there is knowledge everywhere we look, listen and exist.

This then comes down to the true meaning of lifelong learning. I mentioned above that it was a commitment one makes.

But a commitment to what?

To keeping an open mind. Try new things, see if they fit into your life. If they do, great. If you love them, but you can’t fit it in, then you can start to see where you might make changes to add them. Or maybe they’re not for you, but you’ve gained two things. One, the knowledge that it wasn’t for you at that time, and two, maybe there was still some knowledge that can be applied at some point in the future that isn’t readily apparent.

So next time you’re doing something, whether it be aimlessly browsing the web or flipping through a magazine, think about how this can connect with other parts of your life. You might be surprised about the difference it can make.

UPDATE: To help you on your way to becoming a lifelong learner, check out my article, 8 Resources for Lifelong Learning