The thrill of learning

Last month I watched my little girls head off to school. Each day they are so excited and eager -

KP: "Is today a school day?"
Me: "yes"
KP: "yay Yay YAY!!!"

They want to get in there and learn with all their heart. And they will work and work and work with a focus that astounds me.

Amelia, my older, is learning to be a leader. She holds Katie Paige's little hand and guides her sister off to her classroom before heading to her own. She is terribly proud of how "big" she is and how she can influence the little kids.

So I started wondering... when does the thrill of learning and leading turn into more mundane day-to-day work? Why is my "learning" today just another to-do that adds more activity and burden to an already crazy schedule? Why is it the last thing I get to at the end of the week? And why do I feel so guilty when it keeps showing up week after week as an unchecked item on my list...

• Read business book.
• Read leadership article.
• Attend networking event.
• Get on panel.
• Research ideas for next article.

I want to be excited everyday by all the new things that I might learn! How do I get that back?