Learning more and becoming the best version of ourselves is a great thing. Where it can be a barrier in life, is when we get to the point we believe we have made it. When we think we know enough, can’t or choose not to learn anymore, or have all the answers, things can start to go pear-shaped. So, with that in mind, I want to encourage you to develop and maintain an apprentice mindset.

There are things about being young, raw, and inexperienced that are awesome. There are also things that are frustrating, tedious, and tiresome. I think back to being a student, having to do all the dreary learning, and uncomfortable developing to become a successful, qualified, and experienced adult, and just wanting to fast-track the process. I remember being a rookie athlete, struggling to fit in and develop myself, and just wishing and wanting to magically become an established senior footballer. My greatest desire, as I was fumbling my way around learning how to write a book, was to skip ahead to the place where I was a successful author.

What I will say at this moment is; be careful what you wish for.

As it does, life moves on, and time transports all of us from the apprentice phase of life to a more established member of society. It happened to me also. I got what I wished for, but certainly not what I wanted. After some time, I was qualified and working and had got myself to a very proficient level as an experienced personal trainer. So, I stopped learning, I stopped developing, and it wasn’t long before I was stuck, miserable, and stressed. After a few years, I had established myself as a senior professional footballer, and erroneously believed I was good enough. Again, I stopped aspiring to be better, and thought I could survive on my track-record. I was wrong. Soon after that error of judgement, I found myself sacked.

Thankfully, I learned these tough lessons and have and will continue to be a lifelong learner since that time. Last week, it was reinforced to me yet again, when I got to speak to an inspired and inspiring group of apprentices about being the best they can be. They started coming into the room, and there was a spark in their eyes as they were launching into an exciting career and future. Throughout the session, they seemed engaged, they were eager to learn, and I know many of them walked out with more belief in themselves, some ideas of how to navigate the journey of life, and the mindset to find joy along the way. I left the session feeling inspired myself, and even more committed to adopting and sustaining an apprentice mindset for the rest of my life.

Have you ever heard the saying, you are either green and growing or ripe and rotting? It provides a strong visual, doesn’t it? Think of a green banana transitioning into a beautiful, delicious, and healthy piece of fruit, versus a squishy, moldy, and ripe one. It also prompts my sense of smell, as I imagine the beautifully fresh scent of a green and growing piece of fruit versus the stale and stinky stench of a rotting piece. I always want to be fresh and aromatic rather than squishy and stinky. Are you with me? That means that we need to adopt and maintain an apprentice mindset.

No matter what you are doing and where you are in life, I want to encourage you to desire to learn more and be better. Then take positive action. An apprentice mindset means you will always be evolving, learning, and inspired. It will keep you feeling young and relevant, and connected to the world around you. That’s how I feel, and, at the age of 60, I recognise there is so much more I want to learn, do, and become. What about you? Are you ready to step out of know-it-all-and-have-all-the-answers mindset, and embrace an apprentice mindset?

If you’re at the top of your field, there is still more to learn. If you think you can’t get any better, trust me, there are more skills to develop. If you have hit a ceiling in your job or career, put yourself in a new situation and head in another direction. If your relationships are stagnant, get inquisitive about how to make them more dynamic and joyful. If your health is waning, for goodness sake, get excited about what you can learn, how you can develop, and what you can do to become optimally healthy. Please, for your sake, stay green and growing and avoid, with all your might, getting ripe and rotten.

I was so energised after my podcast this week with Andrew Matthews called Joyful persistence. It is Andrew’s passion and joyful persistence to develop himself each day that has led him to become a prolific global author and speaker. Anything is possible for every single person on the planet. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you know or think you know, you can have, do, or become whatever you want. All you need to do is simply commit to developing and maintaining an apprentice mindset.