Bridging The Gap Between Knowledge And Action

"Who here has ever resolved and started to get fit, wake up earlier, lose weight, or get in shape?" When I ask this in training sessions, most people put up their hands. I then ask, "Who here is still doing the work required and/or sticking to their routine?" Most people laugh and confess that they are not. It is not that they don’t know what to do. Many people know what is required; they are just not doing it. 

What about you? Are there things you know you need to do but you are not following through on? Do you know why? For many people, it is the result of insufficient information. There is an old Chinese saying, “To know and not to do, is not to really know.” Information is only as effective as the action that you take as a result of having it. If you knew you were driving towards a cliff, you would stop your car or take a different route. Not to do so has clear consequences. 

You have a choice. You often will have the information as well. Are you gathering information to appease your conscience or to take action? The choice to act differently often requires effort. Anything worth doing usually requires effort. What internal story are you telling yourself? Is it providing excuses or motivation? You need to add desire, willingness, and effort to your knowledge. Without doing this, you will fall into the ‘déjà vu’ trap of starting and not finishing what you need to do to get the results you desire. 

A mistake many people make is wanting to see instant results, like they get instant gratification from negative habits. Many people know that eating fatty foods, smoking, or a sedentary lifestyle is not good, but they do not change. The short-term reward of instant gratification often drowns out the knowledge of the long-term impact. Action can often be proportionate to the quality of information that you have gathered. 

Change can be hard. It can be uncomfortable. People rarely enjoy being uncomfortable. What internal story do you have around being uncomfortable? People who regularly go to the gym understand that the ‘pain is required for the gain’. When I learned to find the reward in the action and let the results be an indicator that I was on the right track, it helped free me from needing instant results to feel motivated. When you learn to connect the discomfort to growth and movement towards something you want to attain, this makes it easier. 

Look at the quality of your information. It will reflect in your actions. A friend of mine quit smoking after the doctor told her that if she continued, she would almost certainly not live to see her grandchildren grow up. Like the example of changing the story in your head about “the gym being hard and not wanting to feel sore” to “knowing that the soreness is evidence of a great workout”, the right information is often enough to totally change a person's attitude and habits around going to the gym. 

Making the connection between knowing and doing is critical if you want to avoid stagnating and self-sabotage. I heard a quip once that many people live on ‘Someday-Isle’ and many others collect ‘Round-to-its’, so you hear them saying all the time saying, ‘Someday I will get around to this or that.’ If you don’t want to be a part of that club, review the information you have and find the quality information you need to take action. Step over the threshold of excuse-making and through the door of freedom. 

Here's to your success!