Does learning end after graduation?

Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Ma, Elon Musk, and thousands of other world leaders read at least 1 hour a business day.

This is called the “5-hour rule”.

As a learnaholic myself, I’m deeply saddened by consistently growing valuations and engagement times on TikTok, games, gambling, meme sites at the cost of learning.

Innovation and progress are only possible through “sharpening the saw”.

It’s not about IQ or learning capacity, either. Jim Kwik is the living proof – the author of Limitless is a world expert on memory improvement and brain optimization, known as “the boy with the broken brain” as a kid who faced a traumatic brain injury.

Adult neurogenesis is confirmed to be possible. 20 years ago, people blindly believed that lost brain cells were lost forever. This has been disproven with successful experiments of re-growing and restoring brain functions.

Michael Simmons has been studying innovators and entrepreneurs for a decade, summarizing the world’s greatest knowledge into this 6D thinking model.

Here’s what sets inspiring leaders apart:

1. Infinite Devotion – allotting time continuously forever, uncovering core motivation and personal values in an area of purpose, passion, and curiosity that evolves for decades to come.

2. Polymathy – while generalization has been morally wronged as an inefficient way to build expertise, the truth is that all great leaders invest in both depth AND breadth of knowledge. Renaissance heroes like da Vinci or Michelangelo specialized in multiple disciplines and leveraged insights and learnings across each segment.

3. Mental Models – building upon First Principles, the ability to mind-map knowledge into buckets and categories, and store the core foundational knowledge in the permanent memory, effectively creates powerful patterns that retain knowledge and build upon.

4. Long Game – leaders do not plan for the quarter or the year. What Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Tesla plan today will reach market adoption in 5, 10, 15 years from now. Space exploration or neuron implants felt foreign and impossible back in the day – and we see the results of big picture thinking and devotion over time.

5. Experimentation – repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a faulty premise unless we talk about learning or training. Successful businesses and initiatives survive and grow by adapting. Adaptation occurs when hypotheses are put to a test. Consumer behavior, personal preferences, and market trends shift too quickly – and A/B testing paves the way to success.

6. Integrative Complexity – a multi-dimensional thinking expanding one’s horizons past two opposing ideas and principles. Big picture and micro zoom-in abilities. Vision and execution. Confidence and humility. Tactical execution weekly while maintaining long-term goals.

It’s trivial to abandon the goal of personal and professional development.

Have you?