5th July 2010
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
As I was about to write this page, I came across another very interesting quotation `you cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind' and I was quite impressed about the simplicity of the message. We are judged by the results that we produce and not merely by our intentions. Intentions and ambitions alone cannot by themselves add value to our life. We have to produce some measurable results. Have you heard the acronym `SMART" which stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound task?
Actionable means capable of being converted into specific actions or activities. We may have knowledge of how to do something, but what if don't know how to apply the knowledge? Knowledge is like a raw material. Just like a raw material has to be turned into a finished product, knowledge has to be converted into skills and action plan.
The same applies to willingness. All of is willing to work hard, willing to quit smoking, willing to do physical exercise, willing to help others, willing to change the world! But the key question is: are we also working hard, give up smoking, think differently etc?
In fact the success or failure can be explained by these two simple quotations. Those who succeeded worked hard. They got a good idea as we also get sometimes. But while they worked on the idea, we allowed the idea to remain as an idea and not an action plan!
May be it is good idea to measure the gap between your knowledge and application and willingness and action!
N C Sridharan
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