I had dinner in January with my friend, Adrian, an actor in NY. He said 2015 was his year to be a student of something. We talked about how in both our careers we're expected to know a lot, compete for business, perform at a high level, and mentor others. He thinks, and I agree, that it's also important for us to be lifelong learners.

PR people, especially, need to pay attention to this. We are good at our jobs because we're all about putting others first: our clients, our products, our jobs, others' needs. We're good at learning what we need to know to do our jobs well, but we're not always really good at setting aside dedicated time to learn something just for the sake of being an awesome, happy human being.

I made a list a few months ago of the things I wanted to "be a student of." It ranged from drum lessons to a master gardener certificate to American Sign Language training and everything in between. Since the day after Labor Day feels more to me like the new year than January 1 does, I'm hoping to go back to school later this month in something I'd like to know more about.

Ragan Communications published this piece today about this very topic:

Why and how communicators should be lifelong learners

I'm going to take some time over the upcoming three-day weekend to sit quietly and think about what it is I'd like to spend some time learning in the coming year or two.

What would you like to be a student of?