7 1/2 habits of lifelong learners

Habit 1 – Begin with the end in mind
Habit 2 – Accept responsibility for your own learning
Habit 3 – View problems as challenges
Habit 4 – Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
Habit 5 – Create your own learning toolbox
Habit 6 – Use technology to your advantage
Habit 7 – Teach and mentor others
Habit 7 ½ – PLAY!

For many things, most of these habits come very naturally to me. I don't consciously think about any of them. In fact, I don't think picking one of them as the one that comes easiest for me would be particularly meaningful. However, there is one item on the list that is conspicuous in how little I get along with it, and that is Habit 5 - Create your own learning toolbox. The level of conscious preparation that seems to be implied by this does not work for me in most situations. When I've got a new project to work on, I like to dive right in. Spending a lot of time checking and double-checking to make sure I've got all the tools I need before starting just feels like procrastination. Maybe I'm just not thinking broadly enough, though. If I were trying to learn how to cook, I'd make sure I had all the ingredients before I broke open the eggs. On the other hand, I still wouldn't go out and make sure I had a complete kitchen set first. As long as I had enough tools for the first project/recipe/whatever, I wouldn't worry about the next one until I got there. I put much more stock in improvisational skills than preparedness. I value agility and versatility over...some less agile and versatile option.