A big red “F” appeared on my report card for my 9th grade English class, and my parents and teacher were not happy with me; I was quite frustrated myself. You see, I really detested English and Grammar. What’s more, I could not see any value in learning that boring stuff and therefore didn’t think I needed to apply myself. (Boy was I ever naive!)

Fortunately success often comes through failure, and today with all the writing and speaking that I do, there is no question in my mind that there is incredible value in the power of possessing an attitude of life-long learning. Even though I wasn’t the best student in school, I was blessed to have teachers who influenced me profoundly and helped me to develop a real love for learning that has become a life-long habit.

In pursuing my goals or dreams, I have found there are usually certain requirements that must be met, and therefore I need to “sharpen my axe” along the way by improving and increasing my level of knowledge. My education, over the years, has continued and learning has increased as I have researched hundreds of subjects (including grammar) of interest to me. Whenever I want to know something, I set out to find a way to learn it. I absolutely love increasing my knowledge and learning new skills and never see myself stopping!

Let me encourage you to adopt this same attitude toward learning and set out to learn something you have always wanted to learn. It may not be easy, but it will be well worth it. Never allow past educational experiences, age or anything else, keep you from discovering the joy of learning something new every day of your life and remember this quote by B. B. King: The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.