But why is that the case? Why is self-education so important? Here are nine reasons.

1. You Can Learn the Material That Fits Your Needs

One of the biggest advantages of self-education is that you can create your own “curriculum.” You can choose the material that best fits your needs and goals.

This is important because there is no single curriculum out there that perfectly fits you. Your interests, goals, and situation are unique.

But when you educate yourself, you can build the best curriculum for you. You can skip what isn’t relevant and go deeper into what matters. You can also combine topics in a way that makes sense for your goals.

2. You Can Learn at Your Own Pace

By educating yourself, you can set your own pace. You don’t have to follow someone else’s schedule. Instead, you can do what is best for your situation. This gives you more flexibility.

There are seasons when you can learn a lot, and there are seasons when you need to slow down. With self-education, you can adjust your learning load based on your life’s situation. That means you don’t have to feel guilty when you need to go slower, and you don’t have to wait for others when you are ready to move faster.

3. You Can Learn Anywhere, Anytime

By educating yourself, you don’t depend on a certain place or time for learning. In most cases, you can learn anywhere and anytime.

While waiting to board a plane, for example, you can use the time to read a book or an article. While commuting, you can listen to an audiobook. Even a short break can become an opportunity to learn something useful.

That means you can use more opportunities for learning because you don’t depend on someone else’s availability.

4. You Can Learn from the Best Resources

By educating yourself, you can choose the best resources to learn from. For example, you can choose the best books from the best authors, not only from the present but also from throughout history.

If you depend only on someone around you, there is very little chance that the best person in that field will be available to teach you. But through self-education, you can learn from the best minds regardless of where or when they lived.

5. You Can Form Your Own Opinion

Formal education, courses, and structured programs can be valuable. But if you depend only on one institution or one teacher, your perspective may be shaped too much by that single source. They may have their own values, assumptions, and limitations that influence the way you think.

But if you learn independently, you can learn from varied sources. You can compare different ideas, see where they differ, and then form your own opinion.

This is important because real learning is not just about absorbing information. It is also about thinking for yourself.

6. You Can Stay Ahead of the Curve

Often, the newest technologies and ideas take time to spread. If you wait until someone around you is ready to teach you step by step, you might lose valuable time. Being able to educate yourself means you can start learning earlier.

This is especially important in fast-changing fields. When something new appears, there may not be many teachers, courses, or structured programs available yet. But if you know how to learn on your own, you don’t have to wait.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you don’t learn from other people. Books, courses, articles, and videos are still created by others. The point is that you don’t need someone to personally guide you through every step.

7. You Can Start Your Own Side Projects

Often, learning something new will only become real when you build a side project around it. By educating yourself, you can choose your own side project to work on.

This blog, for instance, was my side project from my self-education in personal development. I liked to learn about personal development, and I decided to write about what I learned on this blog. That helped me learn better because I wasn’t just consuming information. I was also applying and sharing it.

So there is flexibility with the side project when you educate yourself. You can choose something that fits your interests and situation.

8. You Train Your Self-Motivation

Self-education means you have to motivate yourself. Since there is nobody else forcing a schedule on you, it is up to you to keep learning.

That makes self-education a good way to train your self-motivation.

This self-motivation can then be used in other aspects of your life. If you want to start your own side business, for example, you need a great deal of self-motivation. By training your self-motivation through self-education, you will develop the discipline you need for your side business or other ventures.

9. You Will Enjoy the Learning Process More

Because self-education fits your needs, you will enjoy the learning process more. You won’t feel it as much like a chore or burden because you design it for yourself. You choose the resources, the pace, and the direction.

That means learning becomes more personal. And when learning becomes personal, it becomes more enjoyable. It can then start a virtuous cycle: the more you learn, the more you enjoy it, and the more you want to learn.

Self-education gives you the freedom to learn what matters to you, in the way that fits you best. That is why I believe it is a great way to keep growing.

In 58 BC, during the first year of Caesar’s Gallic Wars, an episode occurred that illustrates this well:

Caesar was now in a truly perilous situation as his troops had only a two-day supply of food remaining and—more to his chagrin—had seen their commander let a golden opportunity for victory slip through his fingers. His pride would heal, but Caesar knew he had to find food for his troops quickly. His only chance lay almost twenty miles north at the hill fort of Bibracte, chief city of the Aedui. This enormous citadel loomed over the surrounding fields and held more than enough grain to feed his troops for many weeks. Thus Caesar ceased his pursuit of the Helvetii and turned his men towards Bibracte.

Humanly speaking, Caesar had just lost a golden opportunity. He could have chased the enemy to restore his pride—strike quickly, claim victory, and worry about supplies later.

Instead, he recognized the dire supply situation. Despite the temptation to win fast, he stopped the pursuit and made finding food his priority.

That decision carries an important lesson for us:

Staying in the game matters more than quick wins.

Why? Because a quick win that costs you the ability to continue is not a win at all. Quick victories feel satisfying, but what matters more is your ability to keep playing over the long haul.

Simon Sinek, in The Infinite Game, draws this same distinction. Finite games have known players, fixed rules, and a clear finish line—football is a good example. Infinite games have no defined end; the goal is not to “win” once and for all but to keep the game going. In an infinite game, the primary objective is to preserve your ability to continue.

Caesar acted like a player in an infinite game. Rather than risking everything for a short-term triumph, he prioritized his army’s survival so they could keep fighting later.

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey uses the term Production Capability versus Production. You may want to produce a lot, but what matters more in the long run is your production capability. You need to be able to keep producing over time, which is why rest, renewal, and sharpening the saw are essential.

As we approach the New Year, remember this: staying in the game matters more than quick wins. Caesar made the right decision—and we should too.

But do you know what he’s now remembered for? Surprisingly, not for his music. Instead, he’s renowned as the astronomer who discovered Uranus—the first planet ever identified with a telescope. Yes, he went from being a musician—of all things—to becoming a trailblazing figure in astronomy. Talk about having a wide-ranging curiosity!

It all started as a hobby. After his musical work—teaching and performing—he would spend his nights immersed in astronomy books. His sister even remarked that “he slept buried under his favorite authors,” referring to those very books. And this wasn’t just casual reading; he deliberately made the effort to absorb knowledge in the field. He studied important astronomy books, including technical ones like astronomical tables, and even attended lectures on the subject.

Over time, simply reading about the planets and stars wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to observe them firsthand. However, the commonly used refracting telescopes of the time weren’t powerful enough. A more advanced option, the reflecting telescope, had been built by Isaac Newton, but it was small, with a magnification of only 40 times.

Herschel set his sights on building a larger reflecting telescope. But there was a major obstacle: it required a special mirror that wasn’t available anywhere. He reached out to optical manufacturers in London, only to be told that such a mirror simply wasn’t produced.

So what did he do? He decided to make it himself! And this wasn’t just any ordinary mirror—it had to be precisely concave to function for astronomical observations. He gathered the necessary tools, but there was one particularly grueling part of the process: polishing the mirror by hand.

The work was exhausting. He had to stand for hours—sometimes eight, even up to sixteen—polishing without stopping. Once he started, he couldn’t take a break, so his sister had to feed him by hand while he worked. Talk about dedication!

It was a high price to pay, but he paid it. All while still making a living as a musician. Eventually, he succeeded in building the most powerful telescope of its time.

With that telescope, he made groundbreaking observations—including the discovery of Uranus in 1781, expanding the known boundaries of our solar system for the first time in modern history. And because of his extensive reading, he wasn’t just passively observing—he understood the current theories and could question them, contributing original ideas to the field.

Here are some lessons I learned from Herschel’s story:

• Have a growth mindset – Just because you’re trained in one field doesn’t mean you can’t excel in another. With a growth mindset, you can develop expertise in unexpected areas.
• Self-education is key – Herschel didn’t just dabble in astronomy; he educated himself. He read relentlessly, even falling asleep with books in hand, which gave him the technical knowledge to contribute meaningfully.
• Dream big – His reading didn’t just give him knowledge; it fueled his dream of observing the stars firsthand.
• Dedication matters – Knowledge alone isn’t enough. Making a real impact requires paying the price, sometimes a steep one. Herschel’s passion for astronomy drove him to endure immense hardship, including standing for hours polishing his mirror.

His story is truly inspiring. It reminds me that we all have great potential—but unlocking it takes effort, and motivation plays a key role in making it happen.

There are many ways to prepare for 2025, but I want to focus on one perspective: that of a lifelong learner. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of December and set the stage for a successful 2025.

1. Explore Potential New Interests

If you’re thinking about diving into a new interest or hobby in 2025, now is the time to start exploring your options. Maybe there’s something you’ve been curious about but never found the time to pursue. December is a great time to test the waters.

You don’t need to go deep into anything just yet—that’s what next year is for. For now, focus on getting a feel for your potential interests. Watch videos, read blog posts, or pick up a book or two. The goal is to learn enough to decide whether it’s something worth pursuing further.

2. Explore Potential Side Projects

While the first idea is about broadening your knowledge, this one is about expanding your skills. One of the best ways to do that is by starting a side project. A side project allows you to gain real, practical experience without requiring a huge time commitment.

For example, this blog started as a side project when I was pursuing my master’s degree. Side projects should produce something tangible yet manageable. Want to learn coding? Try building a simple app or game. When I was in high school, I discovered my passion for coding through my side projects of creating simple games.

3. Explore Potential Learning Channels

A passion for learning is essential for thriving in today’s world. December is a great time to discover new learning platforms or tools that resonate with you. For instance, last year I came across The Great Courses Plus and found it to be a great fit for my learning style.

This year, I discovered something new: ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode. It’s a fun and interactive way to learn, offering real-time conversations with an AI that acts as a tutor. Exploring tools like these can open up fresh and engaging ways to expand your knowledge.

***

These are just a few ideas for how to use December to prepare for 2025 as a lifelong learner. What about you? Do you have other suggestions? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

What does “purposeful system” mean? Well, let’s break it down. There are two words there: purposeful and system. Let’s start with system.

To make the most out of your time, you need to make a deliberate effort. You can’t just go about your day as usual and expect to be productive at the end. That might happen occasionally, but you need something that can help you do that consistently. The solution is to have a system.

In Atomic Habits, it’s written that you “fall to the level of your systems.” Your system helps you structure your day so you can make the most of it. Our natural tendency is to follow the path of least resistance. If left to our own devices, that is the path we would most likely follow. So you need something that can help you overcome that tendency. The answer is a system.

What does a system look like? There are multiple forms; you need to find the one that works for you. For some people, it means scheduling their day in detail. They plan in advance what to do at what time. In my case, I like to have some flexibility, so my system is a checklist of habits. These are things I aim to do daily. Over time, I have developed this list to work better and better for me. It requires experimentation and constant tweaking; you can’t expect to nail it from day one. But don’t let that stop you; start with what you have and refine it from there.

It’s not enough just to have a system, though. Your system also needs to be purposeful. What does that mean? It means your system should be aligned with your life’s purpose. It should help you fulfill your purpose and make your life meaningful and fulfilling.

This requires clarity. You need to have a clear sense of purpose and direction in your life. You want to be sure you are living your own life, not someone else’s. With so many expectations surrounding us, this is easier said than done. Still, you need to strive to live your own life authentically.

That’s why you should take some time to distance yourself from the day-to-day and look at the big picture. Don’t get so bogged down in the details that you lose sight of the forest for the trees. You don’t want to be so busy climbing the ladder only to find at the end that it’s leaning against the wrong wall. That’s why you need to step back from time to time and look at the big picture of your life and the direction you are going. Are you going in the right direction? Are you doing things that are meaningful to you? Is what you do aligned with your life’s purpose?

If not, then you need to take action to realign yourself. Of course, this is not something you can do in one day. It may take time, but your goal is to align yourself better and better over time. As you do that, you should adjust your system accordingly. If your system is in the form of a habit checklist like mine, adjust your habits accordingly. Don’t just do what you have always done. Make sure you are still going in the right direction.

A purposeful system helps you become both more effective and efficient. Effective means doing the right things, while efficient means doing the things right. The purposeful part is about effectiveness; it helps you choose the right things to do, things aligned with your life’s purpose. The system part is about efficiency; it helps you do those things the right way. Put together, you will have a fulfilling and meaningful life. Yes, it will take deliberate effort to reach that point, and you will need to adjust and adapt continually, but it is definitely worth the effort.

I’m incredibly grateful for the power these tools grant us. As an individual without a large team or massive resources, they’re the closest thing to a superpower I’ve seen. I brainstorm better, get more done in less time… it’s amazing!

But here’s the catch: the value you get from AI is directly tied to how well you use it. Realizing that potential boils down, at least with chatbots, to one core skill: asking good questions.

Questions Are the Key

Think of it like leadership. Surround yourself with brilliant people, but if you don’t ask them specific questions, you won’t get much. An AI chatbot is similar; it’s overflowing with potential, but you need to draw it out with the right prompts.

This highlights why old-school learning still matters. Books won’t always hand you the exact answer, but they do something equally important: they help you formulate better questions. They introduce topics and terminology you didn’t know existed, and that’s invaluable. If you haven’t heard of something, how can you ask an AI about it?

Lifelong Learning = AI Superpower

In the age of AI, I’ve come to see lifelong learning as an absolute necessity. It’s the key to unlocking the full might of your AI toolkit. The more you know, the more precise and valuable your inquiries become. Yesterday, learning was about having the answers; today, it’s increasingly about knowing what to even ask in the first place.

That’s why I believe curiosity and a passion for learning are essential. They open the door to realizing how much these AI tools can truly do for you.

I wrote about this topic years ago. At that time, I wrote that my dormant talent was coding. I have a background in computer science, but at that time I hadn’t developed an app in years. My wish was to develop my coding talent again.

Fast forward to the present, I’m happy to report that I have been developing my coding talent! I’ve developed several apps in the past years, and I still do now. So, my coding talent is no longer dormant. It still has a lot of room for improvement, but I’ve been working on it actively.

That’s the good news. Unfortunately, there is also bad news: I have another talent of mine that has become dormant. That talent is writing.

You see, I used to write a lot on this blog, but in recent years I’ve been writing less and less. In fact, it has been more than three months since I last published a post at Life Optimizer. This is unfortunate because my writings, especially on this blog, had opened many doors for me in the past.

My writing talent has become underused and underdeveloped. Realizing this, I’m working to develop my writing talent again. It may take time, but I hope to get better at it. My goal is to become a better writer over time.

What about you? Do you have a talent that has become dormant? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

However, what I’d like to share with you here isn’t the health lessons from the book. Instead, it’s a quote by Sun Tzu that I found there:

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

Interesting quote, isn’t it? Strategy without tactics might lead you to victory, but it’s the slowest route to get there. You will waste a lot of resources along the way. On the other hand, tactics without strategy is even worse. You might do a lot of things, but there is no coherence in your effort. As a result, it’s simply noise before defeat.

So, you need both strategy and tactics. You need to know what you want to accomplish and how to do that efficiently.

It’s easier said than done, of course. But here are two simple tips:

• To plan your strategy, study your opponent.
• To plan your tactics, simplify and experiment.

Let’s dive into them one by one.

1. To Plan Your Strategy, Study Your Opponent

In Outlive, the author plans his strategy by first studying the opponents. Because the book is about longevity, the opponents are the four chronic diseases of aging: heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and type 2 diabetes. The author examined them to learn how they work, and then formed a strategy based on that.

Similarly, you should study your opponent before you form your strategy. In a business, the opponent could be your competitors or the obstacles that prevent people from buying your products. In personal productivity, it could be the distractions that prevent you from doing what’s important.

By studying your opponent, you will know how to handle them. You can then form your strategy accordingly.

2. To Plan Your Tactics, Simplify and Experiment

Based on your strategy, you then need to plan your tactics. These are the practical actions you will do to carry out your strategy.

For this, two things you should do are simplify and experiment.

First, you need to find a simple way to get the result you want. Why should it be simple? Because you need to be able to stick with it for the long term. With diets, for example, you might not be able to stick with a complex diet for long. But if it’s simple, you are more likely to stick with it.

You still need to experiment, though. That’s because your situation is unique and what works for others might not work for you. So, experiment with the tactics to see whether it works for you. If it does, you can keep it. If not, then you need to replace it with something else.

***

Both strategy and tactics are essential to success. The simple tips above can help you find the right strategy and tactics for you. Study your opponent to plan your strategy, then simplify and experiment to plan your tactics.

One of the winners of this AI boom is Nvidia. Its chips power most of the AI applications being used today.

But what’s most interesting to me is the fact that Nvidia was already prepared long before the AI opportunity came. In a recent earnings call with investors, Jensen Huang – the CEO of Nvidia – said this:

It costs a lot of money to do it because you have to do all the software and everything, and you have to build all the systems and so on and so forth. But we’ve been at it for 15 years.

And what happened is when generative AI came along, it triggered a killer app for this computing platform that’s been in preparation for some time.

Isn’t that interesting? Nvidia had been building its computing platform for many years before generative AI came along! When generative AI did come, it became the killer app for something that had been prepared for years.

It reminds me of this quote by Abraham Lincoln:

I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come.

I really like this quote. Why? Because it reminds me of the power of preparation. You prepare first, and someday your opportunity will come. You don’t wait until the opportunity comes before you start preparing; no, that would be too late. Instead, you prepare yourself before you even know what the opportunity might look like.

In the case of Nvidia, it’s so prepared that it essentially has no competitors. Here is what WSJ wrote:

The company currently has no competitor that can match it in its breadth of chips and software for the computing-intensive demands of generative AI.

Furthermore, its advantage is not easy to replicate:

Huang said Wednesday that the company’s software would not be easy to replicate.

“You have to engineer all of the software and all of the libraries and all of the algorithms, integrate them into and optimize the frameworks, and optimize it for the architecture, not just one chip but the architecture of an entire data center,” he said on a call with analysts.

I think this is a great example of the power of preparation. Prepare yourself, and someday your chance will come.

I’m excited about the course because I believe that Bing Chat is better than ChatGPT. Here are a few reasons why:

• Free access to GPT-4.
  GPT-4 is the most advanced language model created by OpenAI. If you use ChatGPT, you’d need a ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20 per month) to access GPT-4. But with Bing Chat, you can access GPT-4 for free! That means you will get the best and most comprehensive answers without the price tag.
• Integrated web access.
  Bing Chat is a part of the Microsoft Bing search engine. That means it can search the web for you to give you answers with up-to-date information. The web access in ChatGPT is still experimental and requires a Plus subscription.
• Prompt suggestions.
  Bing Chat can suggest prompts for you so that you don’t need to type everything. You can ask follow-up questions simply by clicking on a suggested prompt.
• And more…
  There is a free video on the course page where I explain the other reasons.

The course shows you how to use Bing Chat for various tasks such as planning, education, content creation, and more. I also plan to add new videos about Bing Chat’s additional features like Image Creator and the sidebar. Once you get the course, you will get the new videos for free.

The link below gives you a 5-day coupon with the best possible price from Udemy. You can watch the free videos first to see whether the course is for you.

Bing Chat Masterclass: ChatGPT on Steroids ››

Feel free to send me your feedback. Have a great day!