Ever hear the adage “knowledge is power?” Well..it’s not. It isn’t what we know that counts, it’s what we do with what we know that really matters.
You and I live in the Information Age. There’s more information around today than there has ever been on any topic you can imagine. Not only is information available, it’s at our fingertips on the Internet. The Web contains tons of information you can use for improving every aspect of your life.
With all this information at our fingertips, you’d think we would have it made. Ah, but such is not the case. Why? Because we’ve come to believe that learning and collecting information are one and the same. The reality, however, is that we must take what we’ve learned or what we know and translate it into meaningful actions. You see, it’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know that translates into power.
Doris Lessing, a novelist and playwright of the last century, once said: ” What matters most is what we learn from living.” Life is a great teacher, if we do something with what we learn.
If you’re familiar with my six-step process for improving performance and productivity, you know that the last of the six steps is ACTION.
Taking action on the information or knowledge we have is critical to success and achievement. Here are some thoughts on converting knowledge to action you can start doing immediately.
1. Develop the habit of being action oriented. Don’t think about finishing the project or getting the degree, finish the project and get the degree! Don’t focus on the obstacles, focus on actions.
2. Get creative! Find fun or interesting ways to achieve an important objective. Make a game out of it or offer yourself a nice reward when the project’s finished.
3. Break projects down into tasks that can be completed in a relatively short period of time. You’ll be amazed at what can be done in fifteen to thirty minutes of focused activity.
4. Use worst case scenario thinking to stimulate action. You’ll end up there anyway if you don’t get that important project finished.
5. Do the hard stuff first. Once you get that out of the way, it’s all downhill from there.
6. Use momentum to your advantage. Once you get going on a task, stick with it until it’s finished.
Remember, it’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you DO with what you know that really counts. Success and achievement are about DOING, not DREAMING.
Tags: achievement, information, knowledge, power, success, tasks
