Education is important, but at some point you have to accept that you know enough. You need to stop the “learning” and focus on execution.
It is very comfortable to stay in the learning phase because you don’t feel guilty about not taking action. And at the same time, learning never ends, so you can stay comfortably in the learning phase forever.
I spoke to someone who completed an 8-week learning program. I asked her where she was focusing her energy in her client search, but to my surprise, she said, “I haven’t started looking for clients yet.”
She is comfortably in the learning phase.
I personally execute faster than I learn. I don’t know if that is a strength or a weakness, but when I get an idea, I execute more than I plan and strategize. As a result, I make many mistakes at the beginning of most things I do, but I always end up figuring it out.
And I believe that is inevitable. If you execute, you will make mistakes. Some might hurt, but you will figure it out.
So, if you are not happy with where you are, be honest with yourself: what are you doing to get to where you are daydreaming about? If whatever you are doing is not uncomfortable, there is a good chance you are not doing enough.
I will tell you what has always helped me overcome procrastination and distractions.
Daydreaming is what helps me take action.
I always daydream about what it will be like when I get the thing I am going after. I always remember when I was working as a sales representative with a motorbike, spending hours on the road, daydreaming about what life would be like if I had an office job that didn’t require me to spend 8 hours under the hot sun and having enough money for all my necessities.
That daydreaming kept me motivated, because every fiber of my body wanted to get that life.
So, take a moment and imagine what life would be like when you get what you are after, and ask yourself this: is it worth giving up comfort?
At the end of the day, you are competing with yourself. If you can’t win against the distracted version of yourself, you will never get the thing you dreamed of.
Cheers 🥂
Thank you Sadiq.
Well said
I am glad you like it! 🙂
Hi Sadiq,
You are absolutely right. Personally, I am guilty of ever learning but not taking the necessary action. Thank you for putting this out here.
I am glad you like it!
I agree completely with the part that calls us to action. Confucius once said “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” So if we hear (learning in class or through a tutorial) we will forget, but if we see (observe what we learnt being done by others) we will remember. However, if we do (by practicing and executing what we learnt) we become masters and practitioners earning from what we have learnt and perfected.
That is right!