For those who aspire to being the best that they can be and achieving incredible career success, LEARNING NEVER ENDS. Developing a sustainable HABIT of lifelong learning is a key career success philosophy.

"Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it" - Albert Einstein

Take it upon yourself to stay current on the latest thinking in your profession, in your industry and in your other areas of specialty. Make personal and professional development a priority in your life...Become a better and more effective leader, manager, teammate, and expert in your field through the process of lifelong learning.

Consider the following ideas for helping you develop, implement and sustain a lifelong habit of learning and professional development:

10 Ideas for Implementing a Lifelong Learning Habit:

• Always Have a Book Close-By. Keep a book at hand -- whether it's a traditional book or an ebook on your iPhone or Kindle. Keep your reading material visible and easily accessible. Keep a book in your car, in your briefcase, on your desk at the office. Find time throughout your day to pick a book a read some.

• Keep a "Learning List". Maintain a list of things you need to learn, things you need to get better at, skills you need to improve, topics that you need to "dive deep" into. Review your learning list during your weekly planning time. Pick at least one thing from your learning list weekly to focus on. Keep your list current and up-to-date.

• Get Involved in Professional Organizations. Keep current on your profession and in your industry by jointing and getting actively involved in relevant professional organizations. Read their journals, subscribe to and read their newsletters, attend their conference and seminars.

• Teach, Instruct, and Mentor Others. One of the best ways to deepen your understanding of something is to teach it to others. Look for opportunities to speak in front of groups on topics relevant to your expertise. Volunteer for speaking and teaching opportunities. Become a mentor to a more junior person. Let others know you're available and interested.

• Try New Things...Often. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Open new doors and gain new experiences. Broaden your horizons. What is something NEW you can try this month? Write it down...and make it a point to do something about it this week.

• Surround Yourself with Intellectually Simulating People. We learn a lot from others. Hang around others who put learning high on their priority list. Hook up with interesting people who inspire you and help stretch your thinking. Expand your circle and target other high achievers.

• Go Back to School -- Pursue an Advanced Degree. It's never too late to advance your education. Local area universities and community colleges offer excellent courses and programs. Many have night-time programs designed for business professionals. Visit a couple of local learning institutions and ask from their course offering catalog. You'll find this to be another great way to meet other like-minded people too.

• Follow and Read Articles on Great Blog Sites. Check out sites such as www.Alltop.com -- which has an excellent, indexed list of blog sites covering a wide variety of topics and interests. Subscribe to site of interest to you. Use an RSS reader such as Google Reader to keep up with your blog site subscriptions. I have an RSS reader on my iPhone and regularly keep up with over 50 of my favorite blog sites.

• Visit Your Local Bookstore Weekly. Browse your local bookstore on a weekly basis. Make this a regular family outing. Swing by after dinner on a Friday or Saturday night. Pick up a couple of interesting books and scan through them -- you'll be surprised by how much learning you can pick up if you do this on an ongoing basis.

• Set Aside 30 Minutes Daily. Maybe it's first thing in the morning or the last thing before you do before you go to bed. But set aside a regular reading time for yourself -- when things are quiet and you mind is settled an "open" to learning. This is a wonderful lifelong learning habit.