You need to align several key factors to guarantee your success in any venture. I already talked about taking massive action. But before moving towards your goal, you have to figure out in which direction you should move. That’s when information and knowledge come into play.
Proper knowledge and massive action both contribute to your success. But, how much of each do you need? Can a lot of one hurt the other? Is there a balance between the two? In other words, how much time should you spend studying the map? and when should you put the map aside and hit the road?
Information Overflow
Today, the amount of information you receive about any topic can be overwhelming. This includes massive amount of false information and misconceptions. In fact, receiving large amount of bad information is far worse than no information. Also, the negative effect of the distractions will only sabotage your plans. It’s better not to have a map, than having one that sets you in the wrong direction.
How many times have you heard someone say “My research shows…” only to find out the research was only a google search. There was a time that research involved inquiry into peer-reviewed papers. That time is long gone. Long before a well established information debut on a platform, funny memes fill up the twitter feeds and rank in the search results.
What’s most prominent in the media is not the most valuable information. It’s the most entertaining.
Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
Many think that the Internet and decentralization of information is knowledge. Far from it. Sifting through the garbage to uncover gems is what results in knowledge. To do that, you must exhibit discretion and critical thinking. Information provides you with “what”. Even the best information will not get you a roadmap. Your inference gives meaning to the data and information. Knowledge is about “How”. Identifying the best information to learn how to do something results in knowledge. Above all, knowing the “Why” comes from wisdom.
So:
- Good information shows you the terrain and what’s out there.
- Knowledge shows you the best path through the terrain
- Wisdom reminds you why you are on this journey at all
There is a lot to discuss about finding the best information. Also, building knowledge out of data would take a whole separate article. But the focus here is the balance between knowledge and action. How much effort should you spend on gathering data before acting upon them?
Perfect Knowledge vs Opportunities
You often hear about the path to success and mapping out your journey before acting. The analogy of path, journey, and maps is not 100 percent accurate. In real life endeavors, there’s no exact map. No one knows the exact terrain. Nobody has the bird’s eye view of the path. Moreover, the terrain is not always the same and fixed in time.
If a path to a specific goal is well known and mapped out, chances are it won’t lead to a great opportunity. No one has come across gold along the beaten path.
The more you are able to map out your path, the less likely it is that it’ll lead to a great opportunity. So there’s a trade-off between certainty of knowledge and the value it provides.
Map out from the Ground Level
In real life, it’d be difficult to map out your entire path to success, because there’s no arial view of your path. The only practical view of your path is the one at the ground level. So you must gain enough knowledge to reach the next milestone in sight.
The theoretical approach suggests that you map out the whole journey, then act. Practical approach suggests that you map out a little, then act, then map some more, then act more. As you can see the practical approach is iterative and self-correcting.
The Negative impact of too much knowledge
You always hear about the virtues of knowledge. But is there a downside to too much knowledge? In some cases, there is.
Knowledge vs Motivation
A young puppy lives in a world of excitement. As it steps out, a bird or a squirrel is an easy invitation to a chase. But you hardly see an older dog chasing a squirrel. It ignores the squirrel. Its attitude shouts “been there. done that”.
One of the chemical factors in motivation is the neurotransmitter dopamine. Studies show that there’s a link between the release of dopamine and novelty. You are more likely to feel excited about a novel and new experience, than a mundane one.
The more you know, the less exciting the journey will be. No doubt, any achievement relies on motivation and excitement.
So you must strike a balance between your knowledge and motivation.
Too Much Knowledge Feeds Doubt
You gain knowledge by sifting through a lot of information and refuting misconceptions. Rejection and refuting bad information is the basis of critical thinking. But excess of critical thinking cripples your beliefs and feeds your doubts.
To achieve something, first you must believe that you can do it. If you only lay out all the ways you can fail, you will sabotage your belief system.
That’s another reason not to overindulge in too much knowledge before action.
Gaining Knowledge as an Avoidance
Gathering information, learning new things, and gaining knowledge are fun activities. But, action involves breaking through obstacles and dealing with setbacks. Sometimes, you may spend too much time on gathering information, because you’d rather avoid the pain of action.
This tendency to remain in the safe harbor is often subconscious. Fear can disguise itself in many forms. “I have to learn more before I start” is one of them.
Good knowledge and massive action go hand in hand. They feed off of each other. Try to keep a proper balance between the two. Use them in an iterative fashion. Learn some, then act some. Learn some more and act more. Learning and acting this way, will solidify your knowledge as well. That way, your knowledge will be practical, rather than theoretical.