Knowledge Without Practice Is Useless
Here's Jack.. He has read almost every book on how to get rich and become very successful in life. He can tell you everything about Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad and even the Cash Flow Quadrant.
But Jack doesn't have enough money to feed himself, talk less of pay his rent. His trousers even have visible holes in them. He's so poor. Why is this so even with his wide knowledge on how to become wealthy?
Meet Michael, He just graduated from the University. He knows every theory and formular in the engineering field. He has proven himself by being able to memorize and give back to his teachers what they gave him.
But Michael can't even make simple repairs on his home generator. He doesn't even know how to use the tools on various engine systems. He can tell you the theories about his generator and even give you equations to solve the problem. But he can't just repair it.
Meet Lilian, she's pretty and looks good enough to slay any man. She's still single though and has read a lot of books on how to attract her dream man and win his heart. She knows all the book tricks.
But Lilian is still single and her friends who haven't read half of the relationship books she has read have been sending her wedding invitations.
What's happening? You may wonder. Is nature playing a sort of cosmic joke on these people? Is God purposely being wicked to them? Or probably their village people are at work? Lol
The answer is simple: Acquiring knowledge without any practical real life experience is useless and a waste of precious time. Gaining knowledge must be followed by constant practice for it to be useful.
Jack may have read a lot of books about entrepreneurs and getting wealthy, but how many of those principles has he put into practice in his life? Has he made attempts to start up stuff? Has he applied for opportunities to gain helpful skills?
Michael may have been one of the best in his class, but can he ever apply his knowledge to useful means? Or would he become a lecturer and start teaching other innocent students the same stuff he was stuffed with?
Lilian may be the prettiest girl and probably read thousands of love books, but has she taken some time to look into her life, character and attitude? Has she been friendly and responsive enough to learn about how the male folk think? Is she living in a dream world inside her head or has she experienced the reality?
I'll leave you to make your own conclusions as I draw the curtains here.
-Nigel
P.S: Character names are Fictitious.
Yes! This is exactly going on with me. I'm from Delhi, India. I do acquired knowledge but don't have a solid career experience because I wasn't consistent in my studies, college life. I wasted a lot of time. Also, I wasn't confident on my skills. So, I've never applied for the job. I still hesitate. My knowledge is wasted and still wasting. Your thoughts please?
ReplyDeleteHi Sumit,
DeleteThank you for your comment. I want to begin by telling you that I am proud of you for being confident enough to ask your question and for being honest about how you feel. That is the first step to overcoming your challenges and moving forward.
The next step is to stop blaming yourself. Stop saying things like you do not have experience or that you are not successful because you were not consistent with your education. This does not help you at all, even if it might be true. Leave the past where it belongs—in the past. Your present time should be spent figuring out a way forward and taking action.
Also, avoid saying limiting things to yourself like: "My knowledge is wasted and still wasting." Words like that reinforce negative beliefs you already hold, which affect your will to take action and keep you trapped.
So, enough about what you should stop doing—what can you do now? First, identify what your end goal is. Do you want to make tons of money, have a stable family, or simply gain freedom? Be clear about what you want. You may find that you don’t even need the "knowledge" you’re referring to in order to achieve it.
Second, be humble enough to start with any opportunity that comes your way, even if it doesn’t look like the job you’re seeking now. It might be an opportunity to earn extra money, perhaps doing something completely different or even working jobs some might consider menial.
Never underestimate or look down on any opportunity at this stage. A willingness to do something and grow from there is key. This depends on your goal, but if I were to guess that financial stability is your priority, starting with an opportunity that doesn’t immediately align with your ideal can sometimes lead to exactly what you’re seeking.
I believe opportunities always come our way. Sometimes they’re right under our noses, but because we have high expectations about where they should come from or how they must appear, we miss out on the smaller opportunities that are always around us.
Think about everything I’ve written and let me know what resonates with you as you read.
- Ike