Being a Lifelong Learner

From the time Trevor Rosenthal was in middle school, he set goals for himself. In fact, he’s one of the very few professional athletes who has had written goals prior to our first meeting. Trevor knows the first step to achievement is defining what you want and then learning about it.

Fast forward to Trevor’s athletic career as a top closer in Major League Baseball. When Mike Matheny became the STL Cardinals Manager, Trevor read everything he could about this new manager. He wanted to know about his career, his family, his coaching style. Trevor then did the same thing before signing with his next Major League team. He even took it a step further by learning all about his new teammates and what their preferences were.

You can imagine what an impact this forward-thinking learning style made on his interactions with his baseball managers and teammates throughout his career. Of course, Trevor made great first impressions. More than that, he was building up his own self-confidence both on and off the field. 

Here is the pattern we see over and over: when we choose to learn, we reap respect, confidence, and success. By beginning with the decision to take time to learn, Rosenthal developed a personal edge for himself. And that edge hasn’t gone away; it keeps growing. 

Being a lifelong learner is a mindset. It’s an understanding of wanting more knowledge and more experiences, and at the same time, realizing there is always more to learn and experience. We all have the power and ability to be a lifelong learner like Trevor once we adopt the mindset.