Productive people realize that anytime you learn something new, it's never truly wasted time because if nothing else, it's keeping your skills honed. for learning something new. I'm constantly shocked by people who you would think are just so busy. How could they possibly carve out time to learn something that isn't essential, and yet, I see billionaires learning new languages, Michael Bloomberg when he was mayor of New York City, already, the richest person in town already pretty busy, already in his 60s, took the time to learn Spanish. Mark Zuckerberg pretty busy guy running Facebook. And running one of the biggest, most profitable companies in the world took the time to learn Chinese which is a really hard language to learn.

I have respect for both men because languages are one of the things I just can't get my had around it. I'm one of these ignorant, ignorant ugly Americans only speaks one language. But I have tremendous respect for those who do learn a second and a third and a fourth, and a fifth language. Because when you learn one language, it makes it easier to learn more but more important, it gives you the confidence and the skill to learn anything you know, you can learn anything, the one constant in the modern world is that things change constantly. And the only thing that's really a value, the only thing that will really make you productive is the ability to constantly learn new stuff. All of us are vulnerable to competition from other people at other places who are learning things faster.

When I started writing books on public speaking, I really didn't have to compete with most people around the world. Now one of my biggest competitors There's lives in Tanzania of all places and he sells more books on public speaking on Amazon than I do. He is my competition. Now it's not just other people here in New York, or in the United States, it's people everywhere in the world. And that's why it's crucial to keep learning learning new skills is what keeps that axe sharpened and will allow you to continue to be productive throughout your entire life.