Learn Unlearn Relearn

Too many of us think that once we learn something, we own it forever. It’s just not true. It’s not one and done.

Here’s the process: we learn, we unlearn, we relearn. When we concentrate on a skill and use it, we keep it. When we focus on other things and get out of the habit, we lose it.

In my youth, I was an exceptional fundamental salesperson. My career developed — sales manager, speaker, business owner. When my company needed me back in direct sales, I realized how far I had strayed from the basics. Not doing it every day had caused me to unlearn critical steps in the process. I needed to re-study. To relearn.

It didn’t take long, but it took time, focus, and concentration. It’s easy to get complacent and think “I’ve got this down” — only to find the skills you counted on have diminished through lack of use.