One of my mentors once said that "what makes the most impact is not what you know but what you do with it." A lot of people have knowledge. They gather information, read books, watch educational videos, attend seminars, and even understand what needs to be done. They even know how to improve, how to succeed, what to do, and how to make better decisions. But despite all these, their lives still remain as they were. This is because; the real difference is not about what you know, it is about doing.
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While I was in school, there was this classmate of mine then, who was always talking about how to pass exams. In fact, he would even tell you how to draft a study timetable, and would even conduct seminars on effective reading. Yet you would never see him practising what he has been teaching. By the end of the session, when the result came out, he performed below the expectations of everyone. This was when I realised that knowing a thing is one thing, but doing it is another thing. If you know something and do not do it, you are not very much better than the person who does not know it.
There is a big gap between knowledge and action. It is true that it is important to know what to do, but that is only the first step. Action is what will create the result. If you know the right step to take, but if you do not put it to action, and if you did not apply it, then the knowledge is almost useless. This is like having a map but refusing to move, you will not get to your destination. Or like knowing where to get water, yet remaining thirsty. What makes the difference is not the level of what you know, but to which extent you have been able to apply and act on what you know.
There are sometimes when people feel satisfied just by understanding something. They actually have overconfidence in knowledge. That is, they mistake learning for progress. But what they do not realise is that the real progress actually comes from application. In the real sense of it, you have not really learnt something until you have practised it and made it part of your routine. Imagine someone who can quote the laws of flotation, upthrust, buoyancy, and can tell you the principles of swimming, yet has never entered water in their life. How will they really know that they can swim? This goes to prove that it is action that gives substance to knowledge.
One of the things that stop people from taking actions is fear. Of course, taking actions will require risks; like the risk of failure, risk of criticism, risk of mistake, etc. They feel that it is better to remain in the knowledge stage because it feels safer and requires no exposure. But this can also stop growth and progress. Growth and progress will take place when you step out and practice what you have learnt. It may not be perfect at the beginning, but it will be worth it. In fact, just to let you know, an imperfect action is actually better than a seemingly perfect knowledge that has not been acted on.
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In order to turn knowledge into actions, there are things you need to observe. The first one is to start immediately, even if it means starting small. Take the first step on the knowledge you already have, and do not wait until you have extensive knowledge before you act. The next one is to turn your knowledge into daily habits. Then try to set clear and simple goals. It is not about doing everything at once, or taking giant leap. You can break the tasks and the goals into little bits, to make it easier to act on them. You also need to hold yourself accountable. That is, track your actions and your progress. Then finally, you need to accept your imperfections, and learn as you go. You will not arrive at the destination with one step, but each step matters. So keep taking steps and putting actions on your knowledge.
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