Episode #181 - Our Endless Journey in Education

Episode Notes:

Have you ever felt like the universe is trying to tell you that you forgot something, or there is still more you need to do?

Could our recurring dreams really be the subconscious mind, prompting us to pursue something further, like our education?

This episode of the MindWrench Podcast shares my personal journey of understanding the significance of these dreams and how one keynote speech by Dr. Alan Zimmerman ignited my passion for self-development. Discover how nontraditional education through self-help books and tapes can transform personal growth and drive lifelong learning.

We dive deep into the importance of continuous education for professionals in the collision and auto repair industry, and why industry leaders, shop owners, and employees should invest in continuous education. Drawing from over three decades of experience, I'll argue that the time and resources spent on professional development pay off in spades. Learn about the transformative power of in-person training opportunities, and how they offer fresh perspectives and renewed enthusiasm for work. Don't miss this compelling argument that ongoing education is essential for staying ahead of industry trends, improving technical skills, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Leave with these 3 Key Takeaways:

1. Continuous education is essential for staying competitive in the ever-evolving collision repair industry. By investing in ongoing learning, professionals can stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in technology, repair techniques, and industry standards.
2. Lifelong learning can lead to significant personal and professional growth. By expanding their knowledge and skills, collision repair professionals can improve their job satisfaction, increase their earning potential, and contribute more effectively to their teams.
3. Investing in continuous education is a wise business decision. For shop owners and managers, a well-trained and knowledgeable workforce can lead to increased efficiency, higher quality repairs, and greater customer satisfaction.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Dreams and Lifelong Learning
• 13:49 Continuing Education for Industry Leaders

Transcript

Rick: 0:00

Have you ever had that experience of having the same dreams repeating over and over and over again and never really understanding why? My dream varied a bit every time, but the one core part was always me walking through the hallways of my old elementary school, but as a full-grown adult, and I'd be asking out loud why am I here again? I already graduated from high school. Why am I back here again? Why am I here again? I already graduated from high school. Why am I back here again? I truly believe that my subconscious was trying to tell me that I wasn't done with my education yet. In fact, I still had a lifetime of learning ahead of me.

Rick: 0:41

Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast with your host, rick Sellover, where minor adjustments produce major improvements in mindset, personal growth and success. This is the place to be every Monday, where we make small improvements and take positive actions in our business and personal lives that will make a major impact in our success, next-level growth and quality of life.

Rick: 1:10

Hey, what's up everybody. Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast. I'm your host, rick Silover. Thanks so much for stopping in. If you're a returning listener and haven't done so already, please take a minute and click the follow or subscribe button, and then rate and review the show. When you rate and review the show, the algorithms for Apple, spotify, google Podcasts, iheartradio, amazon Music and all the other platforms will see that it's valuable and show it to more people that have never seen it before, and hopefully it can help them too. I would really, really really appreciate your help, sharing this word with your friends and family as well, and if you're a brand new listener, welcome. I hope you find something of value here that helps you in your personal or professional life as well. Please make sure to click the subscribe or follow button so you never miss another episode.

Rick: 1:57

Have you ever had that experience of having the same dreams repeating over and over and over again and never really understanding why? Well, I did that for a long period of time in my 20s and early 30s, and it drove me nuts until sometime in my 40s when I finally figured it out, or at least I think I did. My dream varied a bit every time, but the one core part was always me, and sometimes with friends or siblings walking through the hallways of my old elementary school. But as a full-grown adult, in fact, I always seemed really big, really tall, like my head almost touching the ceiling, and sometimes I'd be inside one of the rooms all by myself and I'd be asking out loud why am I here again? I already graduated from high school. Why am I back here again? And I'd wake up unsure if I really finished school or not for a minute or so, and then my head would clear and I'd remember I did finish high school and I'm not in college and it was just another stupid dream and I need to get moving so I'm not late for work. Now.

Rick: 2:59

I gotta say I had a sneaking suspicion for years that it was my brain telling me that maybe I should still be in school or I missed something. But that just didn't make sense back then. And it wasn't until a couple of years into my position as a jobber salesman and I attended my first keynote speech at a paint company event. It just blew me away. It was by someone that became my first virtual mentor and I still listen to today Dr Alan Zimmerman, otherwise known as Dr Z. He's a top-selling author, teacher and one of the elite members of the Speaker's Hall of Fame. Well, after that event, I started buying and reading his books and listening to his tapes and that started a chain reaction of me buying and reading other self-development books and tapes, and that started a chain reaction of me buying and reading other self-development books and tapes, and it was something I quickly developed an insatiable appetite for.

Rick: 3:51

And then something funny happened. I started realizing I wasn't having those reoccurring dreams anymore. I truly believe that my subconscious was trying to tell me that I wasn't done with my education yet. In fact, I still had a lifetime of learning ahead of me and, to be honest, I wasn't a straight-A student through school, more like a B or a high-C student. But the subjects to me, like many other students, just didn't hold any interest. I just wanted to work, which I did. In fact, by 14 years old I had worked a couple of side hustles, I did some door-to-door sales and I had a newspaper route and I just scored my first busboy job at a local restaurant.

Rick: 4:33

But looking back now, expanding my nontraditional education is really where all my meaningful growth had come from, growth that led to improved income, more satisfaction in life and continued progress. One does not have to attend college or get a degree to have success in their careers. Sure, it's an option, and it's one that parents and educators do push hard on, but it's not the only path. There are multiple ways to continue your education, to always be taking advantage of learning opportunities that are all around us 24-7 these days, but I do believe that one does need to seek continual growth through learning new ideas, concepts and skills to be happy. This week I want to re-share some thoughts around the subject that I shared back in February of last year, because the longer we live, the more important increasing our knowledge becomes, and I don't think we were designed to ever stop learning.

Rick: 5:26

One of my greatest passions in life started way back when I was just a skinny, long-haired teenager back in the 70s, and has grown stronger over the decades. I've always enjoyed meeting new people from all aspects of life, all economic backgrounds and all different ages. I've always been fascinated with what makes people tick, what their views or outlook on things are, what they have in common with others and how different and unique each one of us are. Now, this may sound a little strange coming from a self-proclaimed introverted extrovert, yep, I was more comfortable at parties just kind of lurking in the background quietly observing, than to stand in the middle of a conversation. I was shy on the outside but curious and interested in those around me on the inside.

Rick: 6:09

I always seemed to take jobs that were extremely social in nature, from selling garden seeds as a youngster, door to door to driveway sales, you know, like pumping gas and filling oil yeah, I used to do that To working in several restaurants, body shops and my job or sales career. I always seemed to be in a position to talk to others as part of my job. Now, when I was younger, I didn't have the confidence to lead most conversations, but when someone engaged me on a subject I liked, like cars or music for example, I lit up like a spotlight. But as time went on and I matured, I was able to sell, advise and mentor with authority. Over the past 30 plus years in the distribution world. Making thousands of sales calls and putting myself in a position to have to communicate with just about every personality type you could imagine was probably the best thing I could have ever done as a career.

Rick: 7:01

Not only has it provided me expertise in reading people and finding solutions quickly. For most, it's also proved to be an ongoing education I would have never received in college which I didn't have as an option, nor anywhere else, which leads to my other passion and the focus of this message learning, knowledge, education and continual improvement. With the exception of the time I spent in high school, I've always craved learning, although, as I said a minute ago, because I had four other brothers and sisters and a single-income family, college just wasn't an option. There's a great quote by the former Secretary General of the United Nations, kofi Annan magnations. Kofi Annan, knowledge is power, information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress in every society, in every family. The more I learn, the more I understand those first three words.

Rick: 8:00

Most industries or occupations require some level of continuing education to stay up to date, relevant or competitive in their fields, and most employees begrudgingly take whatever training is needed or mandatory, at whatever intervals, to remain employed. And that's it. The transportation industry, and more specifically the automotive repair industry, requires so much more training at much shorter intervals due to the constant changes in technology, substrates, equipment and repair methods that seem to change with every new model that it can feel like a full-time job just to try to keep up. Since the introduction of ADAS systems, electric vehicle technology, artificial intelligence the OEMs creating and strongly recommending to now insisting on their own safe and proper repair methods to return the damaged vehicle back within OEM specs. The need for training by all members of Repair Center has skyrocketed. If you're looking for a competitive edge for your business or a more effective jump start to your personal development in 2024, I'll make your first step super simple.

Rick: 9:05

It is a fact that an incredible number of the most successful business owners, nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies, top-running professional athletes, entertainers and industry leaders like Microsoft's Bill Gates, former President Bill Clinton, richard Branson, amazon's Jeff Bezos and Salesforce's Mark Benioff all have one thing in common. Thing in common they all have at least one coach, and some have several that they work with on a consistent basis, Someone that helps guide, mentor and support them, challenge them, help them set and achieve goals that move them forward and then hold them accountable to follow through, driving personal and professional growth. Working with a coach has many substantial benefits. Just for an example, 80% of coaching clients report improved self-esteem or self-confidence thanks to coaching, 99% of individuals and companies that hire a coach report being very satisfied and 96% would do it again. If, deep down, you know it's time to make those improvements in your business or your personal life that you've kicked down the road year after year. If you're tired of knowing there's a better version of you waiting to shine, but unsure of how to bring that version to light. If you're tired of wanting to enjoy a more successful business but not sure how to start. And if you don't want to go another 12 months without better results, but you don't want to go it alone, then take the first step. It's super simple. Sometimes talking to the right person can make all the difference. Go to wwwrixelovercom, slash contact and I'll set you up with a free consultation. Call with me to see if one-on-one coaching is right for you. Along with that, I've noticed a big increase in the amount of training opportunities available to our industry in the last few years and a massive increase in the amount of social media focus on that available training in all aspects of vehicle repair.

Rick: 10:50

The reasons for all this are really quite simple Safety, safety. Safety. Vehicles interact with our society on two fronts Initial collision they can run into property, other vehicles and people and secondary collision the people on the inside driving can slam into various parts of the interior of the vehicle. Humans are soft and squishy compared to the hard plastic, aluminum and steel components of today's automobile, and they lose every time an accident forces them into battle. So repairing these vehicles correctly or incorrectly can really literally be the difference between life and death.

Rick: 11:28

For many years, I truly believe that a majority, but most certainly not all, repair technicians that I've run across in hundreds of body shops really didn't have this in the forefront of their minds, guiding repair decisions. Nope, not until the $42 million John Eagle Honda lawsuit that resulted from the 2013 collision crash of an improperly repaired vehicle. That certainly opened some eyes and created some severe pucker situations for many collision repairers and shop owners. Well, perspectives changed and more technician training was consumed, but unfortunately, there are still many that are way behind the curve on gaining the knowledge needed to process a safe and proper repair. There's also an air of arrogance and ego, with some that have been doing it for 30, 40, or 50 years that they've learned enough, they've seen it all or done it all before and there's nothing more for them to learn at this point.

Rick: 12:22

In my experience dealing with some of these texts from a jobber's position for over 30 years and even going back to when I was a paint instructor for several semesters, usually the ones that claim they know it all are usually the ones that need the most training. There's a quote from Epicus says that it's impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. There's a tremendous amount of pride in the men and women in our industry, from the back of the shop all the way up to ownership, but with that pride comes a bit of ego as well, and sometimes we need to put that ego in check, admit to ourselves that we don't know it all in fact we never will and open our minds to learn something new. Remember, there is power in knowledge. I was reminded of this recently when I attended a training event with a few paint techs from a high-volume shop that does outstanding work. Even though these were some very experienced and very talented technicians, they were still excited to learn more about a new paint line they'd been using for a few months, even though they had most of the key functions of this new system down perfectly. With the help of a very patient and thorough instructor, they were able to unlock some very beneficial tricks and tips with this new system that will enable them to produce even higher quality repairs in a shorter amount of time. It was funny. The older, more experienced painter admitted to all of us he was pretty sure that he would probably not walk away from training without any clear advantages, but was pleas sure that he would probably not walk away from training without any clear advantages, but was pleasantly surprised to take home some solid nuggets that would definitely up his game.

Rick: 13:49

I would strongly encourage our industry leaders, shop owners and managers to first invest time and finances into their own continuing education, whether it's taking part in some I-CAR, ami, paint manufacture equipment or other training opportunities available, even those unrelated. Auto repair, as most self-development education, will have some major impact on whatever industry you serve, as well as your own personal lives. Secondly, encourage empower. Invest in your own people that work for you to take advantage of any training available to them as well. Do not limit them to virtual or online options only. There is so much extra value gained in spending time outside the shop in a learning environment with one's peers. New perspectives, special tricks of the trade, hidden shortcuts and sometimes a better way of approaching common problems are revealed and shared within the group.

Rick: 14:44

As an owner or a leader, you may not realize how many of your techs crave that chance to get out of the shop for a training event and learn with their peers. The classroom setting, time spent on the floor with instructors and especially the lunches or dinners out spent with others in the industry, can reinvigorate their passion for what they do and have them all fired up to put their new learnings into action at your shop. But you're ignoring this fact or, worse yet, refusing to send some of them to training opportunities only instills the message that you just don't care about their desires to grow and improve, or they just aren't worth the investment, or they're only there to make you money. This negative mindset and working atmosphere won't inspire or drive performance. It will only serve to inspire that desire to find someplace else to park their toolbox.

Rick: 15:34

In my career as a paint tech, I've worked at many places that did not value training and a few shops that did. I remember how both felt to me. In my last 30 plus years as a distributor, I've had the privilege of not only being able to attend training and continued education events, product trainings, self-development seminars, live speaking events and conferences, but I've also had the extreme pleasure and honor of attending many of these with my customers as well as my peers. For those of you that know me well, I'm big on quotes, right? In fact, I've been sending out a quote of the day for over a decade Every weekday, sending out something that may inspire, motivate or give you a positive lens to look through. If you want to join that list, just click on the link in the show notes to join. But I wanted to wrap this up with a couple quotes I really love about this message.

Rick: 16:27

Henry Ford had said Anybody that stops learning is old. Whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning is young. Ben Franklin said this Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning. And the great BB King once quoted the beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. So do yourself a favor, do your business a favor. In fact, do the whole world a favor. Keep learning, keep growing and set an example for those that look up to you.

Rick: 17:07

Well, I hope you enjoyed what I shared today and I hope this message number one makes sense to you that we're all designed to continue to learn new information throughout the course of our lives, not just during our school years. And number two, it inspires you to really take a look in the mirror and decide for yourself that you could greatly improve the quality of life by simply never stop learning. Well, that's all I had for you today. Thanks again for tuning in. I really appreciate your support and I hope you have a great week. I can always be reached at wwwrickselovercom, where you can find all my social media links, podcast episodes, blog posts and much more. Thank you.