If you’re looking to spark creativity and challenge in your career, the answer could be inside you! It just may have to do with cultivating curiosity.

In this article, I share 5 steps to create your own learning journey.

As a lifelong learner, I’m constantly soaking up content through engaging in conversations, reading books, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. I also engage in a lot of self-reflection, which is aided by working with coaches and journaling.

In addition, I’m always on the lookout for potential partners — people I can collaborate with to co-create something terrific. It may be a relationship. It may be a work product. In many cases it’s both.

These conscious investments help me to be continually learning and improving. And that’s part of how I’ve created a fulfilling, impactful career. Read on for a look behind the curtain at how I cultivate curiosity to build momentum. Consider how you can build momentum, too!

The value of building momentum

Has your career been feeling stagnant for the past few years? Maybe it feels like it’s time to move but you’re not sure where or how to make positive changes. You may be in a state of inertia.

Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion is focused on inertia. It states: An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force (NASA). In other words, the action of an external force is what causes an object to move or change its speed.

Momentum refers to the quantity of motion that an object has. It measures much mass is in how much motion. When a person or group has momentum, they are on the move (Physicsclassroom.com).

So, if you’re feeling stuck, part of the solution could be to invite external forces to help you get out of a state of inertia and to start building momentum.

How to create your own learning journey

Step 1: Ask questions & share resources to build relationships

When I meet people at events such as conferences, I ask them what they’re reading and listening to. I add the most interesting-sounding ones to my reading lists and podcast collection.

Based on what I learn they’re interested in, I might have some recommendations for them.

By sharing resources with each other, we get to know each other and establish a rapport. This can be a great way to form a bond. Our common interests serve as a bridge.

Then I have something to follow up on. I can send an email, a text, or a message on LinkedIn building upon our previous conversation. I can thank them for their recommendations and share highlights from what I’m reading and listening to. I can also ask them about their latest reads and favorite podcast episodes.

This dialogue that we’ve got going helps us be resources for each other, and who knows where that may lead!

Step 2: Actively engage with content

When I read a book, I actively engage with the content instead of taking a passive approach. This helps me create the most value from the experience.

I typically highlight and take notes as I read. This helps me stay awake and retain the information. It also helps me think about how I can apply what I’m learning.

This approach makes reading take longer, but it also makes the reading more valuable and actionable. These practices can be helpful for someone who has difficulty concentrating, for instance, someone with ADHD.

And it doesn’t stop there. In many cases, I follow the author/creator on LinkedIn and sometimes I’ll reach out with a personalized invitation to connect. I will often follow that up with a message, and sometimes that turns into an ongoing dialogue. Once an author I reached out to, complimenting her about her book, offered to send me a complimentary copy of her latest book!

Step 3: Invite one thing to lead to the next

I invite one activity or resource to lead to the next.

One book leads to the next

It’s common for the books I read to reference other books. So, I seek out many of those books, figuring that if I appreciate the book I’m currently reading, I’ll probably also find something valuable about the books it is referencing.

For instance, I loved the book “Deep Work” and in it, the author Cal Newport references the book, “The Four Disciplines of Execution,” so I looked up that book and sure enough, I also loved that book. For more of my reading recommendations, read on.

One experience leads to the next

I also use this approach to explore places when I’m traveling. When I find a place I like, I talk to people there and find out where else they like to go, for instance, restaurants, parks, museums, interesting local spots, etc. I have had the privilege of traveling extensively and this approach helps me have fun, interesting experiences in places I’m not familiar with. It is also a strategy that can be used close to home!

Swing and Latin dancing have been some of my long-time loves since I was a teenager. When I go to social dances, I ask fellow dancers where else they like to dance. That helps me find out about venues, live music, and dance events.

Step 4: Find ways to use what you learn to help others learn

After working with a coach who encouraged me to host a masterclass to deliver content of value and connect with my ideal clients, at first I was overwhelmed as I tried to come up with a structure and content. There’s so much that I want to share with people about how to lead fulfilling, impactful careers. “What to focus on?” I wondered.

Then it came to me!

I was listening to the audiobook “Deep Work” while enjoying a stroll in a lovely park in Montreal. My mind connected the content in the book with what I know about career development. It occurred to me that a great topic for my masterclass could be common career mistakes people make and what to do about them.

So, I sat on a bench in front of the long row of tennis courts to soak in the warm air and gentle breeze of the summer evening while listening to the book and taking notes on my phone. The career development masterclass was taking shape!

Step 5: Don’t be afraid to iterate

As a result of listening to that audiobook and writing down some thoughts, I created a one-page outline for my masterclass. I have some perfectionistic tendencies and I had to tell myself, “This is not perfect, and that’s OK. It still can be useful to people.”

Since I had already led many workshops and presentations, I knew this was something I was capable of. I reminded myself of that and got together the courage I needed to schedule my first masterclass focused on common career mistakes and what to do about them.

I proceeded to hold a series of masterclasses, monthly and sometimes even more frequently. I designed them as intimate events with no more than 20 participants. These online events attracted people from all over the world, and served to provide inspiration and connection.

By hosting these events every few weeks, I was able to build momentum. My experience from each event would build on the next.

My initial concerns that the events would become stale for me if I focused on the same topic more than once were allayed once I hosted the event several times with the same focus. Each event attracted a new set of people and was shaped by their insights and questions, as well as my recent work with coaching clients and students, and new learnings from my latest experiences and insights.

For each event, I would bring in principles from the books and podcasts I was digging into on topics like leadership, career development, entrepreneurship, decision-making, and marketing. And so, each event was unique and rich in its own way even though the core elements remained constant.

Recap

Throughout my life, I have created a learning journey for myself, and you can do the same, in your own way! These five steps can help guide you.

Step 1: Ask questions & share resources to build relationships

Step 2: Actively engage with content

Step 3: Invite one thing to lead to the next

Step 4: Find ways to use what you learn to help others learn

Step 5: Don’t be afraid to iterate

Try these steps and share in the comments how it goes!

One-on-one support to help you build momentum

If you could use some support to get curious and build momentum, I encourage you to reach out.

More resources to help you get curious and build momentum

Access my reading recommendations with books on topics from career development to leadership to entrepreneurship. These books helped shift my perspective and take intentional action.