From Knowing To Doing

We all own a massive ‘knowledge zone’ equivalent to acres of land. Viewing the enormous size of this zone that we possess, we are surly considered ultra-rich. We are admired and appreciated  when it comes to disclosing our ‘knowledge assets’. People around us are impressed with the magnitude  of  our properties.

However, most of us are found to be living in a petite, shabby and tiny dark room when we unveil our ‘action zone’. People around us are instantly unimpressed, uninspired and unmoved. They are not mesmerized with the size of our ‘knowledge zone’ anymore. You know why, because your credibility is not based on your knowledge but actions.

Most of us, sleepwalking through life are so immersed in the knowledge zone that they don’t have time to look into their action zone. Then comes a day when some inescapable incident triggers the need and forces you to visit your action zone. You feel shocked, ashamed and even traumatized. 

The painful encounter with reality in the action zone makes your restless. It gets so difficult for you to digest that the king of the knowledge city was a plain beggar in the ‘action city’. Wouldn’t it be hurting to know that a millionaire in knowledge currency turns out to be a bankrupt in action exchange?

It reminds of my physics class where many students scored 100% in theory but didn’t perform well in the ‘practical’. And you know better than me that the overall result  of  those  students  was hard to take. They failed in the subject like we fail in the subject of life.

This is exactly how most of us are in real life too. We know a lot but act very less. We are generous in knowledge but miser in acting on that knowledge. When it comes to knowledge we seem to own a whole city. But when it comes to putting into practice what we know, we are almost homeless. For the size of our knowledge city, we are seen as extremely wealthy, affluent and prosperous. However, our action zone exposes that we are living below the poverty line.

Your success in life rarely depends on how much you know. It largely depends on how much you do. The size of your action zone should be bigger than the size of your knowledge zone. Your knowledge is rarely visible to others but your actions always ‘speak louder’ and therefore, noticed by others.

If you continue to expand your action zone, you will automatically create a new zone for yourself. I call it ‘experience zone’, a combination of your knowledge and action. This new zone belongs to you because this is ‘your tested’ knowledge.

For most of the people on this planet, knowing and doing have always been two banks of the same river. Therefore, a large majority fails to find a way of building a bridge between two important pillars of their life.

Knowing something doesn’t mean you will necessarily act upon it. There is a lot that we all know. But there is quite less that we act on. I can bet most of the stuff you read in this book may   not be outside your ‘knowledge zone’. But is it already inside your ‘action zone’?

Success comes to those who gain knowledge, test this knowledge in their very own ‘action lab’ and then based on the results create their own ‘experience’ zone. The secret of success is to having a constant supply of fresh knowledge. The stream should never stop otherwise you will be forced to act on the old knowledge which can give you only old results.

Since the environment around you is relentlessly changing, you need to take consistent action to try renewed knowledge in the lab. This requires daily intensity to put whatever you know into practice.

You need to regularly update ‘experience zone’ on the results and findings of your experiments in the action lab. Be generous in sharing your garden-fresh awareness, insights, wisdom, and experiences with the people around you to inspire and ignite them. When passing your experience to them, inspire them to test these renewed perceptions in their own ‘action lab’ and then continue the sharing process.

Remember, you can use your knowledge currency to impress others but only your actions exchange has the power to inspire. Knowledge is valued much in the school but only your actions are valued in the marketplace. Knowledge will make you a scholar; actions will create a champion out of you. With knowledge you can win minds, but with superior actions you can win hearts.

Whichever zone you focus more on will expand. If your knowledge zone is refreshing and action zone is depressing, you will never succeed. Wake up before it is too late. You don’t have to live as a king of knowledge and a panhandler of action. Take action now to bridge your knowledge and actions and guarantee an unprecedented success for yourself and your loved ones.

INSIGHTS

1. Are you letting your actions speak louder than your knowledge?
2. Would you like to be remembered by your knowledge or by your actions?
3. Do you feel refreshed in your knowledge city and suffocated in action room?
4. Which zone are you expanding more on a daily basis?
5. Is your current routine persuading you to be a superstar of knowing and an extra in doing?

ACTIONS

1. Gain lots of new knowledge every day
2. Activate your action lab to test knowledge, ideas, and perceptions for validity
3. Take big actions daily to turn your action room into an action city
4. Grow the size of your action zone to match the size of your knowledge zone
5. Show generosity to share your insights, awareness and findings with others
6. Publish your findings in the ‘experience zone’ with an expiry date on   them

If you didn’t take action on this knowledge right now, beware that your current routine is persuading you to be a king of knowing and a beggar of doing.

Happy doing!