When I was a young kid, I couldn’t wait to graduate from school – because I hated the hassles of studying.

Homework was seen as tedious and I was especially repulsed by solving Math problems (not much has changed with respect to that). In my childish mind, all I wanted to do was frolic in the fields with my Power Ranger toys in hand. “One day,” I told myself, “I’m going to be able to stop learning and I’ll be happy and free”.

Fast forward to present day, and I can’t help but laugh at my childhood self. I love learning. I love reading. I love devouring all kinds of information. I love expanding my mind, knowing that I’m slowly understanding the world better each day. The advent of smartphones and researching anywhere has been the most significant technological milestone in my life.

The truth is, we should never stop learning – especially when you’re immersed in a rapidly advancing field like architecture. You just can’t afford to not take it upon yourself to commit to learning everyday – lest you become swept away by the currents of change. If life is a battle, the best weapon you have is your knowledge. The more of it you have, the better equipped you are to get out into the field and shine.

Committing yourself to learning is the highest form of investing in yourself. And you are your most important investment.

Believe it or not, there was a time when there was no internet. There was a time when you had to go to the private library or bookstore just to look for information we now can access at the tip of our fingers. Search engines? They were nothing like they are today. Are we taking this ideal learning environment for granted?

So today, I challenge you to open up your web browser, and read something random. Random, but interesting or useful to you. You’ll be surprised about the things you discover about yourself over the course of this exercise. Maybe you’ll find that you have a secret interest in history. Perhaps you’ve realized you know nothing about what’s going on in the world today. There might be a skill or person you’ve always wanted to learn more about but never got down to digging deeper: Bruce Lee, Photography, Mixed Martial Arts, Warren Buffet, Cooking, Cross-dressing? Take a few minutes to whip out your search engine and discover something new about your world.

What if you made this a daily habit?

Imagine if you made it a point to read one awesome thing every day for a year. You’ll have learned 365 awesome new things that have officially made you a better-equipped human being. The universe is your school – make it work for you.

Stay invested, and commit to learning.

Wishing you the best,

Aldo

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