It's one thing to have information, but it's quite another to put that knowledge into practise. The path to hell is paved with good intentions, as seen by a stack of unread self-help books by the side of an unmade bed or garments thrown over a cross-trainer.
The simple part is determining what is "in our own best interests." You will be healthier if you exercise often and eat a well-balanced diet. That's information, but it's useless without wisdom, dedication, self-worth, action, and accountability to back it up.
"Knowledge is power," they say, but only by putting knowledge into practise can you fully realise its potential. Starting with oneself is the greatest place to begin. The only way to reach your full potential is to put what you already know about yourself to good use.
So, here are seven tips to help you transform knowledge into action.
Knowledge is a valuable tool, but how well it is put to use is determined by how it is utilised. If knowledge is to serve you properly, it must be discriminated and contextualised.
Knowledge on its own may sometimes hold you back by limiting your intuition and common sense, just as information for the sake of information has limited usefulness. The highly evolved human brain has the ability to obscure your judgement and rationalise your actions, which can have negative consequences. Decades of reinforcement imprint beliefs on your awareness to the point where they are completely indisputable.
The ego's attachment to the status quo attempts to maintain these "certainties" in order to prevent fresh viewpoints and options. Because its comfort zone is founded on familiarity, however damaging it may be, the ego is scared of change—even change for the better.
You know what's best for you deep down. But how much do you think you're worth? The degree to which your behaviours are consistent with what you know is beneficial for you reflects your self-worth.
Your self-worth compass will get you back on track, whether you're out of balance at work or in your personal life—but only if you let it go.
Self-care and investing in your own well-being are sometimes hampered by past negative thoughts of unworthiness. You can break free from these ideas, make better decisions, and act based on facts rather than myths if you respect yourself enough.
A life coach's job isn't to make you feel better. It's to aid your vision. The majority of breakthroughs in coaching sessions occur when the client recognises their thinking for what it is: totally irrational and fatally defective. Positive thoughts and prospective answers are frequently ignored as your own unquestioned preconceptions obstruct your progress toward a better future.
The ego exhales a sigh of relief: there's no need to change, to question conventional wisdom, to take a gamble, or even to address a long-standing problem. It's too difficult. In reality, it's impossible, so you're stuck, a prisoner of your own ideas and beliefs—beliefs that may be used as justifications for doing nothing.
But what if your belief isn't true, or isn't true any longer? What if there's another perspective on this? You must stop the pattern that keeps you from acting in your best interests. Attempting to perceive an existing paradigm in a fresh light, on the other hand, is like to trying to tickle oneself.
The purpose of the transformational coach is to interrupt the negative reflex responses of your thinking, to assist you in breaking the loop that keeps you from doing what's best for you, and to help you put your knowledge into action.
Procrastination can be moderately unpleasant or completely incapacitating. Fear of the unknown fuels procrastination: "What if I take this choice, what if...?"
Another factor is the want for control—specifically, the desire to exert control over the future, which includes other people's emotions and behaviours. It's about as illogical as it gets to put off making decisions because you can't anticipate or control the future. Humans, after all, are not rational. [2]
Then there's the fear of regret: "If I make a mistake, I'll be devastated." I'll take responsibility."
This is almost always based on personal experience, and it contributes to a vicious cycle of unpleasant emotions:
Expectation > letdown > judgement > self-judgment
There is a solution: determine what the worst-case scenario is. Feel your primary organs—your mind, heart, and gut—and take action.
Leave a comment