The Desire To Learn
Written By: Chris Enger
The brain is wonderful. The mind is beautiful. The ability to think, to reason, and to learn are what sets us apart from all other creatures on this planet.
I lost three of my four grandparents to dementia of different variations. The thought of losing my mental capacity is one of my fears as I grow older. The fear doesn’t paralyze me, but it does motivate me to keep learning.
The brain is like every part of your body; you need to exercise it. In 2017 I decided to learn how to crochet. I felt that learning a new skill every year would be helpful to try and fight off dementia as I age. According to the Alzheimer's Association, cognitive stimulation is one factor in helping fight off dementia risks. The Alzheimer's Society in England lists several activities that help challenge the brain:
1. Study for a qualification or course, even just for fun
2. Learn a new language
3. Do puzzles, crosswords, or quizzes
4. Play card games or board games
5. Read challenging books or write (fiction or nonfiction)
What’s wonderful about stimulating the brain in 2021 is it’s never been easier. Our CEO Larry Stevens talks about a time in the 60s when he won a calculator at his office for his performance. That calculator that did basic computations was the size of our desktop computers today. Now, at our fingertips and the size of our pocket, we have access to all the knowledge we could possibly want or need. We can learn “Do-It-Yourself” skills on YouTube, we can take college courses online, and we can have electronic access to any book ever written. Our ability to access knowledge is there as long as we have a desire to learn.
Look at how much learning has changed over the last 12 months. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us somewhat to find new ways to teach and to learn. Most of us have kids that have been able to learn and adapt to online classes much easier than their teachers and parents.
We want to help that drive to learn at Med One. We want to provide avenues that help our employees learn in the workplace but also to increase their knowledge base to help employees prepare for other jobs Med One has to offer.
Learning in life can help us in three different areas:
1. Learning what the job requires of us.
This is the most basic form of learning on the job. It simply is learning the skills needed to accomplish the job we were hired to do. Med One will provide tools to help our employees accomplish all that is required, from learning the in-house software to learning our procedures.
2. Learning skills to improve what jobs you have.
Part of what we envision with training and development at Med One is offering classes to help our employees learn other programs they may not be familiar with. If an employee is not familiar with the Microsoft suite of programs, we will have learning modules to help them learn those programs. We want to help all employees develop above and beyond the basics of their job requirements.
At times there may be opportunities to learn programs that will make you a more valuable part of Med One. One example comes to mind of our Controller, Dave Butterfield. He learned programs like SQL and Visual Basic so he could be the expert on the leasing software Med One was using. That was learning he did on his own.
As we continue to add to our Training and Development directory, if there is training for a program or an application that would benefit our catalog, we welcome employee suggestions so we can add them to our directory.
3. Learn to progress in life.
Whether it’s going to college classes or simply learning at home, never hesitate to learn. I am amazed at some of the skills that our employees have at Med One. From the woodworkers to the crocheters, from DJs to home repairers, we truly have a workforce of learners.
Learn skills that can help around the home, around the neighborhood, and around the community. Develop talents that could help others or bring additional income or add a degree or certification to help move up in the company. Whatever it be, we should always be striving to learn. The more we learn, the more well-rounded we become, and there is not a better time than now to do so.