For More than three decades, I have met hundreds of people and new clients whose stories are similar. They are awake and have spent years studying personal development and self-help material. They read all the books, attend all the seminars, all the drop in classes and enroll in all the courses. This was me at one point in my life.
Humans are innately curious and hungry to know more. They believe that if they can just learn the latest productivity tricks, tips on the psychology of dating and relationships, or get the best business coaching advice, they will be able to lead better, happier lives. They sometimes think that if they change jobs, their lives will improve, relationships will be happier.
In many cases that may be true – temporarily. But only half-true.
There are few things humans hunger for more than knowledge. In short, we all want to know what went down and what is going down. Of course we also desire to know what will go down but there is no person, thing, nor crystal ball, tarot reader or psychic that can predict the future with accuracy that will improve everything.
Our endless quest for knowledge pings our awareness to different points in time and space to collect data that we consciously and subconsciously process. The knowledge we pick up throughout our lives heavily influences our belief systems and decision-making.
Having an awareness of how things operate is a crucial part of the equation of success in life, however, the key point here is that knowledge is only helpful to the extent that it allows us to experience greater empowerment. By empowerment I mean that which aligns with freedom, self-awareness, joy and peace in our thoughts and actions.
Unfortunately, knowledge is used far and wide towards a disempowered end. We use knowledge to justify all sorts of behaviors that ultimately separate us from what we truly need and desire.
For many people, knowledge is absorbed in great quantities but never translates into empowered action. Anyone can read 20 books on starting a business, but can they get out there in the world and make it happen? If we don’t set one foot in front of another and act on what we know, we are bound to repeat the same cycles of pain and complacency. I know many people, many coaches, healers, teachers and mentors, yoga teachers and practitioners who complete every training available, while collecting completion certificates, but never integrating, embodying and stepping into living, doing and being unified with all of this learned knowledge.
Knowledge must be practiced, applied and experimented with in real time, with willingness to learn, grown, make mistakes, practice some more. This application is what allows us to become masterful in life. Becoming masterful in life is what it means to evolve. Growing, learning, evolving makes us happier, better humans with more depth. Diving Deep. Mining the gems within. Becoming masterful in whatever you choose IS our life purpose.
So I challenge you to ponder how you may be using knowledge as an excuse to not go after what’s in your heart. You know what needs to be done. There’s nothing left to do but take the first-sometimes scary- but always worthwhile- step in the direction of your desires. Now.