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Why Learn?

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As markets improve and the year rushes to a close, we see more classes being scheduled around the country. Agents will decide which courses look the most interesting or benefit them (and their career) the most. Some are taken for the Continuing Education credit, some for designations and/or certifications and some, yes it’s true, are simply taken so that an agent might become better than they are prior to the course.

To me, as both an instructor and as an agent, I evaluate a course based on what I am going to learn and how it will deepen my knowledge base and enhance my career (and maybe my life). There is, of course, a bigger question which is this: Why learn at all? As fate would have it, I happen to have seven good reasons to learn (and hopefully, to take that class).

1. To enhance your skills. Learning helps each person develop essential new skills and further develop ones currently possessed. The value of being more knowledgeable is immeasurable in the big picture.

2. Provide job security. What? Wait a minute, I’m a real estate agent, what do you mean job security? Simple, the more you know, the better you become, the more valuable you are to your company (and your clientele). There is job security in value.

3. More professional success. Agents with more knowledge are simply more successful. Ours is a very knowledge and skill oriented business. Negotiating, Presenting, Marketing and even sales in general have learning that must be possessed, skills that must be learned, techniques that must be mastered.

4. Increase income. If the more you know the better you do, then it is not a stretch to take that to the next step: the more you earn. It isn’t an accident that agents with designations and certifications earn, on the average, more money than their none alphabetted (not a word) colleagues.

5. Stay current. If nothing else, many courses exist to keep agents up to date on the latest laws, contracts, ethics, technologies. Even the best agents need to be aware of the most recent changes in the industry as well as the business’ best practices.

6. Confidence. Every major study conducted in the educational realm reports that people who learn more become more confident. They become confident in their knowledge, confident in their skills, confident in themselves.

7. Neuroplasticity. Neu­ro­plas­tic­ity or brain plas­tic­ity refers to the brain’s abil­ity to CHANGE through­out life. The brain has the amaz­ing abil­ity to reor­ga­nize itself by form­ing new con­nec­tions between brain cells. Not only is this a good thing, it only occurs on three occasions: 1) At the begin­ning of life: when the imma­ture brain orga­nizes itself. 2) In case of brain injury: to com­pen­sate for lost func­tions or max­i­mize remain­ing functions. 3) Through adult­hood: when­ever some­thing new is learned and memorized.

Our brains are still our best technology tool. Like all technology, they need to be nurtured and updated as often as possible for them to function at their maximum. Learning is a great way to facilitate that growth.

Be good to your brain, learn something today.