There is a great saying, “To know and not do, is to NOT Know.” It means that we only truly know something from having done it. It is ironic that we live in a world that offers us an infinite number of experiences and endless amounts of information, but there is a core attitude and behaviour in humanity that undermines our potential to make the most of what we have available.
I have spoken with thousands of people all around the world in varying capacities, and almost without exception, people have admitted to me that they are not living an empowered life. If most people were honest and open, they would confess to failing to practice what they know. There are two main admissions I have had heard:
1. “I know I shouldn’t be doing what I am doing, but I can’t help myself”, or “….I just can’t stop doing it.”
2. “I know what I should be doing but never get around to doing it”, or “…I just can’t bring myself to do it”
This state often leaves people wondering “What the hell is wrong with me?” There is often a degree of self-recrimination where people judge themselves for their ineptness, and their inability to 'get their shit together'. They look at the apparent success of others and think, “How come other people can do this and I can’t?” They beat themselves up over their shortcomings and failures, often resulting in despair and even self-destructive behaviour. Clearly, none of this is conducive to real change.
So where are we missing the point? How is it that even the most renowned and successful people have admitted to me that they suffer from this attitude and behaviour - even when health and personal development is their field of expertise? How do we deal with the objections and excuses - the “Yes, I know that, but…” scenarios? Until we can root out the basis of this attitude and behaviour, then there is no real foundation for individual or collective change.
To understand where we are missing the point we need to understand that developing knowledge and learning involves developing pathways within the cerebellum of the brain. For this be effective, the required tasks MUST be done in a smooth, controlled and deliberate manner. This means we can only truly come to Know something from the direct experience deliberate action gives us. If this is not done, the brain is forced to adapt, and it develops compensatory pathways. This causes unconscious habits to form instead.
When you observe humanity today, most people are living according to their habits. We are not encouraged to think or live outside the square. When you add stress to habits, we are forced to compensate. These compensations gain momentum and prevent people from being able to stop and think. This state of being makes changing habits practically impossible. This is essentially the reason why people cannot change their core attitudes and behaviours, and often not open to correction.
Most people are in ‘the pursuit of happiness’. Their hot pursuit is like a boy chasing a ball out onto a road. The child is so focused on the ball he doesn’t hear the onlookers scream out stop! For most people, the screams to stop are coming from within, but they are overridden in an effort to survive or get ahead. Being so caught up in the pace of life, they may react to a simple reminder of what they "already know".
All of this behaviour is the result of the survival reflexes in our brain being jammed on. Therefore, the precursor to being able to apply new or existing knowledge is to be in the right state of mind. In my line of work, I commonly hear phrases like, “I have never stopped to think about that before”, and “WOW, I have never seen it from that perspective before.” Therefore, we must have the resources, guidance and support that we require to make change possible. If the dominant force in our lives is not what we need to nurture and nourish the development of new pathways, then old habits will prevail.
But there is Light amidst the darkness. We need to focus on what I call THE 3 KEYS OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE:
1. APPLICATION - The deliberate application of everything you already know is the key to true change
2. PRACTICE - The practice of everything you are coming to know is the key to growth
3. CULTIVATION - The cultivation of everything you are yet to know is the key to transformation
So what exactly is it that we need to do in order to develop true Knowledge? Most people agree that life by nature is very simple, so anything that complicates it is possibly serving an agenda that perhaps isn’t your own, or of the egoic self. The primary things we need to apply, practice and cultivate are anything and everything that enables us to develop and maintain our health, fitness and wellbeing.
Once you transcend your conditioning and programming, you will connect with your inner creative genius. This will naturally fill you with inspiration to find and fulfil your creative potential. To spell that out clearly, you just need to find the most fun and interesting things to do. You won’t need any discipline or sergeant majors screaming at you to stay motivated. In short, the meaning of life is to have fun, and the purpose of life is to share it with as many people as possible. Anyone who thinks that sounds too simple or broad of an answer is probably lacking true Knowledge.
Brian Gerard Schaefer :)
If you want to know how to develop true Knowledge, read my eBook THE NATURE OF LIFE: How to remain at Peace while living in the modern world. Click on the link below to purchase your copy now.
Brian Gerard Schaefer is an author and a self-educated wholistic natural therapist, specialising in kinesiology, myopractic, spiritual counselling, diet and nutrition. He presents seminars and workshops on healing, kinesiology, meditation and personal development.
