By: D. A. Slinkard
Continuing in our series of the “ABC’s of Slinkard on Success” – we have come to the letter “K” and our word is Knowledge. There is a big disconnect with this word because many people think knowledge is the key to life. There is a quote that states, “Knowledge is power,” however, Tony Robbins once said, “Knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge is only POTENTIAL power. Action is power.”
Having knowledge can be a great thing, but what we do with that knowledge is another thing. We live in a time when it is easier now more than ever to obtain knowledge, but having the knowledge is not enough. If a person wants to lose weight, they can watch videos, read books, and gather information all from the Internet. You can become an expert on any topic you so choose, but being an expert and being able to actually apply your knowledge is a completely different realm.
In your life, what is something you would like to be able to achieve or accomplish? Going off the premise that knowledge is only potential power, what would you like to achieve in your life? Too often, people do not take the time to sit down and properly plan out their life. In failing to plan, they are planning to fail. I do not believe anyone purposely sets out with their life to be a failure, but too often people fail to achieve simply because they fail to take the time and map out a course for their life. Is this you? I admit that there have been times I have just tried to wing it and in doing so I have drifted off my desired course.
I believe having knowledge in how to do things is greatly important, but we need to realize there is more to life than just possessing the knowledge. We have a generation of Americans growing up who are failing to utilize the technological advancements all around us. We have information at our fingertips, and I cannot help but chuckle to think back to when I was growing up and the times I had to use an encyclopedia in order to find out information that is readily available today on the Internet. Yet, we have a society of people growing up who do not know how to properly utilize the tools they have, and it is not their fault.
The kids these days not knowing how to put into action the knowledge they have readily available – the potential power – is our fault and not theirs. If we want our kids and grandkids to be successful in life, it is going to take an active approach to learning. We cannot be passive in the knowledge we pass down because too often we think our kids are going to learn by watching us live our daily lives, and this is just not true. We have an entire generation of boys that are growing up not to be men but are growing up to be sissies. Our boys need to be men and our girls need to be women. We need to show our boys how to be a man and our girls how to be a woman.
However, we have a society that is teaching our men to be ashamed of who they are, and that masculinity is a bad thing. Of course, this is also coming from the same group of people who cannot identify or give a definition for the word “woman.” The basic concept and ideology of gender is now a confusing topic because we have blurred the lines between common sense and reality. We have people who try to sound sophisticated, yet the only ones they are impressing are the ones who are blinded by their lies.
If a person wants success, they must learn to be honest with themselves and seek out knowledge and then be able to apply this knowledge to their life. If a person wants to be the best real estate agent, they need to study what the best of the best do, and then put these practices into action. If you want a different life, you need to obtain the knowledge of what you need to do and how you need to do it, and then take action on a daily basis to achieve these results. Getting the wrong knowledge and disinformation leads to failure and even confusion such as what we see going on in this world. Will you turn your knowledge into action?
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard would love your feedback. You can contact him at da.slinkard@gmail.com