While finishing my PhD my doctoral advisor once told me (paraphrased) to learn as much as I could while I was in school because as soon as I graduated it was all going to be downhill. The point being that once you left the confined learning environment of being a student that you’re more likely to forget more than they learn. A gradual regression of sorts.
And if I’m honest with myself, this was more or less true for much of the 6 years after I left school. ?And it bothered me. It’s not as if I wasn’t reading, writing, and teaching….I just wasn’t doing it as much as I had while in school. While my practical coaching experience, leadership skills, and business acumen were skyrocketing….my book smarts were, at best, put on hold. This was only made worse the more I worked on my business. In fact, for much of the past year where my work and travel schedule was relentless, I rarely read research or coaching literature nor watched or attended academic or practical lectures.
Now, thanks to my reduced work hours since taking the position with the Whitecaps I’ve been devouring educational material voraciously as if I was starved for the past 6 years. It’s been great. And much like working at Athletic Lab, I love it so it’s like working without working.