Balance of Knowledge

Knowledge is a wonderful thing, but it can also trip people up. There is an endless ocean of information out there, and thanks to technology, it is ever at our fingertips. And that is a wonderful phenomenon, for which I am incredibly grateful. Never before has information been so readily and efficiently distributed.

But here’s the dark side of this equation: you can never know enough. If there is one thing I have discovered in exploring some of the immense knowledge being shared via books and internet by our world’s leading experts and innovators, there is always more I don’t know, and the more I learn, the more I realize I am ignorant.

This realization can be crippling if we aren’t careful. Learning and education must be balanced by doing. Just like nutrition, if we are only taking in food and never exercising, we get obese. If we are only doing and exercising, but not being replenished with nutritious food, we get weak and famished. Balance is vitally important. In the same manner, knowledge must be exercised to avoid becoming intellectually obese.

I see a lot of people in my field with many academic accolades and lots of letters after their name who are struggling to build a successful practice. They are too afraid of what they don’t know to employ what they do understand. And it’s not just the finance industry plagued by these fears. I think many of us are afraid to leap out to chase our passions because we don’t quite feel equipped. We see “professional students” who are always seeking the next academic rung; but have failed to execute any of that knowledge in the field. Heck, there are professors with PhDs in business who haven’t even run a lemonade stand!

All the knowledge in the world does you no good if it remains trapped inside you. You must act. Progress comes from a balance of education and execution. You can certainly learn from doing, but you can never “do” by only learning.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on...

The Art of Intentionality

“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make you.” – Richie Norton I am not even sure who Richie Norton is, but I love that quote! I imagine a ship drifting out to sea, pushed around by the wind and the waves. No course of direction, yet the captain is frustrated when the ship ends up dashed against the rocks, trapped on a sandbar or marooned on an inhospitable island. It is easy to complain when life takes us where we do not want to go. But who is really to blame if we have never set our sails to align us along an appropriate course? Do we blame the waves, wind and the weather? Or should we blame the captain of the ship? It is our life and our ship. We must set our sails with intentionality and determined choices. Otherwise, we are doomed to aimlessly drift along according to the choices and decisions of others.

Hasty Hares

We live in a world full of hares. People darting from one thing to another. Always looking for a shortcut. Constantly seeking a quick fix. Ever searching for a hack. And more than anything, they want it NOW! Speed seems to have replaced diligent planning and patient determination. It’s all about quick results, immediate feedback and instant gratification. People seem to be less concerned with the direction they are headed than how fast they are moving. They don’t know where they are going – and are quite possibly moving in the wrong direction – but at least they’re making good time! But the pace and aimless effort catches up. They get jaded and burn out. Or they simply end up “lost.” They fail to notice that movement isn’t progress. They don’t consider that sheer velocity, without control and accuracy, is dangerous and destructive. They forget the tortoise wins. Every. Single. Time. “It matters not how slowly you go. It only matters that you do not stop.” – Confucio...

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog