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Episode 359 · Apr 6, 2021

Lifelong Learning and How to Apply It to Create Your Best Life

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George Wright III opens this episode of The Daily Mastermind with a question worth sitting with: why are you learning what you're learning? If you spend time reading books, listening to podcasts, and taking in new ideas but rarely apply what you absorb, you may be busy without actually growing. George's message here is both practical and motivating, and it centers on one core truth: applied knowledge is where real change happens.

This episode draws on Prosperity Pillar Nine, George's commitment to lifelong learning, and reframes what learning actually means. It is not about accumulating information. It is about transforming knowledge into new skills, new experiences, and ultimately a new life.

Why Applied Knowledge Beats Passive Learning

There is a phrase George returns to in this episode that cuts to the heart of the matter:

"Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power."

Listening to podcasts and reading books has real value, but only when you put what you learn into practice. The gap between knowing and doing is where most people stall. George's point is that learning without application keeps you informed but does not move you forward.

How to Tie Your Learning to a Specific Objective

One of the most practical ideas in this episode is the importance of learning with intent. George recommends connecting everything you study to a clear objective in your life, whether that is building a business skill, strengthening a relationship, or developing your unique talent.

"I recommend you don't dabble. We've got to learn to get really specific with our intent when we do things in life."

Time is finite. Scattering your attention across dozens of topics may feel productive, but focused, deep learning in a few key areas will produce far better results than a surface-level survey of everything. Pick two or three areas you genuinely need to develop this year and go deep.

What Neuroplasticity Tells Us About Habit and Growth

George brings in the concept of neuroplasticity to explain why consistency matters. The brain can form new patterns at any age, but only when you reinforce them repeatedly. As George puts it, the neurons that fire together wire together. The deeper and more consistent your learning practice, the stronger those new pathways become.

This is an encouraging truth: you are never too old or too set in your ways to develop new skills. The condition is that you stay focused and keep showing up.

How to Build a Learning Ritual That Actually Works

George shares how he structures his own learning habits, including podcasts, books, email newsletters, and mastermind groups. Rather than fitting learning in wherever it happens to land, he blocks dedicated time for it and treats it as non-negotiable.

His suggestions for building your own ritual:

  • Know whether you absorb information better through audio or reading, and match your format to your preference.
  • Choose sources and personalities that genuinely motivate and inspire you, not just the ones everyone else recommends.
  • Identify the time of day when your focus is sharpest and protect that window for learning.
  • Treat learning as productive, not as something you squeeze in when real work is done.
"So many of us feel learning is unproductive, but at the end of the day, you're going to find that this learning and applying new things is what's going to get you out of your comfort zone and is what's going to take you to the next level in your life."

Why Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone Is Part of the Process

Growth does not happen inside familiar territory. George explains that the way you change limiting beliefs is by creating new experiences, and the way you create new experiences is by picking up new skills and applying them. Learning is the catalyst, but action is the mechanism.

This framing matters because it removes the pressure to have everything figured out before you start. You learn a skill, you apply it, and the experience that follows is what actually rewires your thinking.

Action Steps

  • Identify two or three areas in your life or business where focused learning would have the most impact this year.
  • Connect your learning to a concrete objective: a goal, a role, a relationship, or a skill you want to develop.
  • Choose your format: audio, video, or written, whichever format helps you retain and act on information best.
  • Block specific time in your week for learning and protect it the way you would any other priority.
  • Apply what you learn as quickly as possible by stepping outside your comfort zone and creating new experiences.

Learning is one of the most powerful investments you can make in yourself, but its real value only shows up when you put it into practice. As George Wright III reminds us, it is never too late to start living the life you were meant to live.

READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

Welcome back to The Daily Mastermind. George Wright III here with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. I hope you had a great weekend in the United States. We had Easter weekend. I know many of you celebrated that, and I was able to take actually some extended time off, and I really enjoyed spending that time regrouping, refreshing, spending time with my kids. And so I'm excited to be back with you. I've got a lot of things to talk about with you this week, and I hope you'll join me throughout the week as we get into several different topics. So let's get started with the quote of the day. The quote of the day today is by Earl Nightingale. And if you haven't downloaded the Daily Mastermind mobile app, you'll see some really cool HD pics in there that go along with these quotes, so I encourage you to do that. The quote is, people with goals succeed because they know where they are going. People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. That's a great quote because I think many of us in life are just going through life. We're just going, right? So many of us are just caught up in life, expectations, responsibilities, or even goals that we think that we want to accomplish. Sometimes we forget the reasons we're doing it. What is the reason that you're doing what you're doing each and every day? Is there a reason? Is there a good reason? you know I want to talk to you today about having a little bit more intent and I want to talk to you a little bit about learning. You know prosperity pillar number nine is I'm committed to lifelong learning and I really believe that that's a worthy cause in your life. I think it's something that will give you a lot of benefits if you'll continue to learn and grow but most of us most of us are experts at learning right. Most of you study and read and listen to all types of new things but what's the reason that you're learning and are you applying you know how are you applying what you're learning so that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about today I think it's very important to remind ourselves that the key here is not just learning and learning is not just about you know finding new topics and studying but it about applying what you learn See learning is not it not just listening to podcasts or reading books or taking in classes If you don't actually have this knowledge, yes, you're learning something new, but learning is much more about applying what you've learned so that you can actually internalize this and acquire new skills and, you know, increase the prosperity and success in your life, the productivity in your life. So here's a suggestion that I have for you. I believe that you've got to tie your learning to some type of objective in your life in order to really benefit from it and maintain that motivation to keep you going and keep you learning lifelong. So, you know, we got to remember, and you've probably heard that phrase, knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power. And gaining experience with your new learning or the new skills or talents or abilities that you have, that's going to be the key to really getting benefit out of your knowledge and in your life, right? So let me just kind of remind you of this. The only way that you grow and create your life is to change your limiting beliefs, the things that are holding you back, right, in order for you to get more in your life. And the only way for you to do this is to start creating new experiences outside your comfort zone. And you do that by picking up some new skills, applying those skills, applying the knowledge, and then creating new experiences. This is what helps you to learn. It's what helps you to grow and develop because you create and grow and change your beliefs through these experiences that you'll have in your life. And that's part of that learning process. So back to this idea of tying your learning to a specific objective. I recommend that you start by focusing your learning or the things that you're trying to grow in different areas on areas that will help you create your best life. For example, your unique talent. If you haven't identified what your unique talent is, the thing that you're excellent and passionate about, you need to study and focus on that. How about your immediate and long goals of your company or your business or your job or even focus your learning on areas that will help you in your personal life and relationships It might be communication It might be exploring new skills and things like that. But I recommend you don't dabble. See, we've got to learn to get really specific with our intent when we do things in life. Time is something that you don't get back. So in order to create results in your life, your business, your personal life, your relationships, you have to be intentional with the types of things you're learning. Sometimes we just get caught up in learning everything just to learn. And it's very, very important that you don't dabble, that you drive deep into the process of learning in areas that you feel are going to benefit you in your life. You know, this concept we've talked in the past about neuroplasticity says that you can learn and develop new patterns at any age. Just remember that the neurons that fire together wire together. So the deeper you go with content, the deeper you go with learning, and the more consistent you are with it, the better. Don't be scattered all over, you know, checking all kinds of different things out and trying to do everything at once. Really narrow it down to a couple of core things you want to change in your life this year. This is a great time of year. We're in the second quarter. It's time to recommit to your goals and get refocused on what you want to accomplish. and identify the things, the skills, the talents, the areas that you need to learn in order to help you go to that next level. So start making this learning a habit and drill deep into it through your daily rituals. So let me give you some examples of what I do for learning. And a byproduct of this is that they actually are things that also help to motivate, inspire, and educate me all at the same time. And that is, you know, I'll go through podcasts. I'll always have books. You know me. I've got lots of different books that I go through. There's a lot of email newsletters and blogs that I've subscribed to, or just through people, interviews and mastermind groups. But find a couple of things I want to recommend. Number one, I dedicate a specific amount of time to learning because I know that I can use it in my business and it'll motivate and inspire me. So I do it for the intention of picking up a skill but also maintaining motivation and inspiration So you to do what best for you and i recommend that you find the things that will create the most significant impact for you in your learning For example are you better at listening or reading audio or written And make sure that you're doing it not just in the background, but you're very specific with your approach. Also, what personalities resonate with you the most? If you're watching videos or audios or reading, what types of people motivate and inspire and you learn from the best? what type of day is best for you. Should you spend time in the morning, the evening, the afternoon, take a break during the day, and then block out time specifically for your learning? Because so many of us feel learning is unproductive, but at the end of the day, you're going to find that this learning and applying new things is what's going to get you out of your comfort zone and is what's going to take you to the next level in your life. So make a priority just like you do for yourself. Make a priority for your learning. A great example of, at least for me, for learning is this podcast. You know, when I started the Daily Mastermind podcast, I had to learn a lot, but then I also had to apply what I was learning, and I had to create daily rituals and content that I was going to consistently do. And the bottom line is that applying that learning has changed my life in so many ways. I've been able to pick up new skills and talents, meet new people, apply the principles to my business. There's so many things that it's helped me with. So that's the topic I just wanted to share with you today is that if you're learning and you're growing, I encourage you to find specific intent and to do it in a way that will benefit you in your life and take you closer to the goals and desires and objectives that you have. And that's the real reason that we have that as prosperity pillar number nine. Lifelong learning is important, but applying your knowledge and applying your learning is even more important. That's the message for today. I hope you have an amazing day. Thank you for joining me. Thanks for listening. Refer this podcast. Hit like and subscribe. And if you have any questions, certainly hit me up at The Daily Mastermind on Facebook or Instagram. I love to get feedback on the podcast. And I look forward to talking with you more later this week. Have a great day.