I have always loved to learn. I was one of those kids who loved school. I couldn’t wait for summer to end so I could get back into the classroom.

As a parent of two young children, I want to be a good teacher. I recently asked my parents for their advice about how to raise kids who love to learn. They obviously know a thing or two about it since they raised 4 kids who combined have 7 college degrees – 4 Bachelor’s degrees and 3 Master’s degrees. Their best piece of advice was to model the way.

When you grow up with a father who’s a self described “personal development junkie” and a mother who’s a social worker, you learn a heck of a lot about the importance of continuous personal improvement and the value of being a lifelong learner.

For 2011, I have a personal development plan. It’s a clearly defined path of what I want to learn this year and how I will improve myself. I always want to be engaged in the process of learning. I have some great mentors who continue to teach me. I am deeply committed to being a lifelong learner.

One of my “quotes for this year” is by Leo Buscaglia: “Change is the end result of all true learning.” I hope to embrace the change that comes as a result of learning. I am striving to become the best version of myself, and I look forward to the changes that I will encounter on this journey.

Are you committed to being a lifelong learner? Do you have a personal development plan? What do you hope to learn this year? What actions will you take to become a better version of yourself?