Never Stop Improving. Knowledge is power.

In this video, legendary sound designer Ben Burtt (Star Wars film series, Indiana Jones film series, Lincoln, E.T.) gives some advice to aspiring sound designers. He states that even if you're going to school for film and you want to study sound don't limit yourself to strictly that. He emphasizes the importance of a well rounded education. Studying writing, art, science, history, engineering can only benefit you in whatever profession you pursue.

Personally I can't agree more. The more you know, the more you can apply to your work/life.

Legendary film director Martin Scorsese made a similar point in an interview saying that he is inspired by everything he reads. He will study art history and architecture not only as research and authenticity for his films, but he will be inspired as an artist by the in the tone and movement of the art and apply that to the music or camera movement.

Then there is the obvious point that it can give you topics to base your work on. If Martin Scorsese didn't study the history of New York or read books outside of film making he never would have come out with the film "Gangs of New York" or one of his best works "Kundun". And if Ben Burtt limited himself to sound design and did not learn music theory and how to play the piano to manipulate pitch and intensity for emotional impact, he may never would have come up with the wonderfully creative sound design for WALL-E (you can see why here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eySh8FOUphM).

You will also become a better human being. The more you know the more you appreciate other things other than just the field of work you're in. One of my professors Andy Alton says to never stop learning about everything you can. You can apply everything in life to something else and it will make you more creative. Also, he teaches us to learn more also simply for the fact that you don't want to be the boring person who  everyone knows always talks about just the one topic every time you see them and lives a predictable, uninteresting, one-dimensional life.

Always strive to become better at everything, never limit yourself, and always become more than you ever thought you could be.