Knowledge Equals Power
Following my exploration earlier this year of the value of
excellence, I'd now like to take a look at the value of knowledge Living
in an era in which the acquisition of knowledge is as easy as tapping a
key or two on our laptops, it is difficult to imagine that in the not
too distant past knowledge was reserved for a chosen few and that those,
unfortunately, more often than not would use their privileged position
to keep the rest of humanity in the darkness of ignorance. Clearly the
chosen few were very aware of the truth that KNOWLEDGE = POWER.
KNOWLEDGE = POWER
Knowledge equals power in a multitude of ways. Let me just highlight a few:
Knowledge dispels ignorance. The dictionary defines ignorance as meaning unawareness. Being unaware robs us of opportunities; of developing our talents; of recognising possible choices; of learning, growing and changing and - last but not least - of realising our potential.
Knowledge gives us power of choice. We can only make informed choices about anything about which we have sufficient knowledge. The greater our knowledge, the better informed our choices will be.
Knowledge raises our self-esteem. Offering our thoughts and opinions and feeling recognised, respected and appreciated for our input enables us to feel good about ourselves.
Knowledge is the foundation of expertise and excellence. Expertise and excellence can only be developed through the combination of knowledge and consistent application of this knowledge.
Knowledge gives us the power to influence. People tend to look to those for counsel, mentorship and advice whom they perceive as being more knowledgeable than they are themselves. If we wish to be influencers, we must be knowledgeable!
Knowledge creates confidence. If you've ever found yourself in a position where you were supposed to make intelligent comment on a subject on which your knowledge was fairly limited, you'll know how humiliating and damaging this can be to your confidence levels. If you've never been in such a situation, count your blessings and take my word for it - it's so horrible that all you'd wish for is the ground to open and to swallow you up right there and then. Not an experience I can recommend!
Knowledge is the foundation of wisdom. Whilst not all knowledgeable people are wise, wisdom most certainly requires knowledge.
OVERCOMING THE KNOWLEDGE HURDLES
So, given that knowledge equals power, why doesn't everyone jump at the opportunity to acquire as much of it as possible?
Well, here are a few reasons and some possible steps to help you get over the knowledge hurdles:
Information overload. As limited as information (knowledge) might have been for our forebears, as overwhelming it is in this day and age. I don't believe that any one of us can absorb even a fraction of the information with which we are bombarded on a daily basis and I suggest that you don't even try.
Be selective. Once you've acquired a suitable amount of general knowledge, carefully select the areas of your particular interests and areas in which you wish to excel, and keep your learning focused on these.
Being a 'know-it-all'. Don't you just want to run and hide when you encounter one of those? They seem to take great pleasure in lecturing - usually on topics that hold no interest for you whatsoever - and all you feel you can do is try and escape at the first possible moment.
Step outside the box. Believing that we know it all confines us to living in a very small box. If you think that the description of a know-it-all might 'fit' you, you'll benefit greatly from opening the door of your heart to a little humility. Nobody knows it all and most of us don't feel any shame about this when we recognise that the majority of people don't even feel comfortable around 'know-it-all's'. Some suggestions for this type of person would be to speak less and listen more. To explore why they feel that they should know it all and, every so often, to experiment with confessing their limitations. Gaining an understanding that learning is a gift that never stops giving and is a privilege and pleasure that we can enjoy until the day we die, will help you overcome this hurdle.
Laziness - preferring to do anything at all rather than something that might resemble hard work, which may be the category under which you've filed using your brainpower.
Laziness is a choice. Once you understand that only those who are willing to wave good-bye to laziness will be able to realise their potential; that only those who are prepared to make an effort will succeed; and that knowledge is indeed power, learning will become a pleasure rather than something that seems too much of an effort.
Fear of failure. For some people - usually those who found their school years to be a real struggle - acquiring knowledge may be intrinsically and painfully linked with the feelings of failure they experienced in their childhood years.
If you fit this category, you need to make the decision not to allow your past to define your future. Just because you struggled with learning in your formative years, does not necessarily mean that you'll have the same struggles now. Your maturity as well as a major change in the way knowledge if offered today, will help you get over this hurdle in no time at all and you will recognise that there is only one failure and... that is the failure to try.
In closing, let me remind you that knowledge equals power. The more power you have, the more opportunities will come your way. The more opportunities come your way, the greater your choices. The greater your choices, the greater the likelihood that you can live the life you want - A LIFE LIVED ON PURPOSE.
By Sonja Ridden
KNOWLEDGE = POWER
Knowledge equals power in a multitude of ways. Let me just highlight a few:
Knowledge dispels ignorance. The dictionary defines ignorance as meaning unawareness. Being unaware robs us of opportunities; of developing our talents; of recognising possible choices; of learning, growing and changing and - last but not least - of realising our potential.
Knowledge gives us power of choice. We can only make informed choices about anything about which we have sufficient knowledge. The greater our knowledge, the better informed our choices will be.
Knowledge raises our self-esteem. Offering our thoughts and opinions and feeling recognised, respected and appreciated for our input enables us to feel good about ourselves.
Knowledge is the foundation of expertise and excellence. Expertise and excellence can only be developed through the combination of knowledge and consistent application of this knowledge.
Knowledge gives us the power to influence. People tend to look to those for counsel, mentorship and advice whom they perceive as being more knowledgeable than they are themselves. If we wish to be influencers, we must be knowledgeable!
Knowledge creates confidence. If you've ever found yourself in a position where you were supposed to make intelligent comment on a subject on which your knowledge was fairly limited, you'll know how humiliating and damaging this can be to your confidence levels. If you've never been in such a situation, count your blessings and take my word for it - it's so horrible that all you'd wish for is the ground to open and to swallow you up right there and then. Not an experience I can recommend!
Knowledge is the foundation of wisdom. Whilst not all knowledgeable people are wise, wisdom most certainly requires knowledge.
OVERCOMING THE KNOWLEDGE HURDLES
So, given that knowledge equals power, why doesn't everyone jump at the opportunity to acquire as much of it as possible?
Well, here are a few reasons and some possible steps to help you get over the knowledge hurdles:
Information overload. As limited as information (knowledge) might have been for our forebears, as overwhelming it is in this day and age. I don't believe that any one of us can absorb even a fraction of the information with which we are bombarded on a daily basis and I suggest that you don't even try.
Be selective. Once you've acquired a suitable amount of general knowledge, carefully select the areas of your particular interests and areas in which you wish to excel, and keep your learning focused on these.
Being a 'know-it-all'. Don't you just want to run and hide when you encounter one of those? They seem to take great pleasure in lecturing - usually on topics that hold no interest for you whatsoever - and all you feel you can do is try and escape at the first possible moment.
Step outside the box. Believing that we know it all confines us to living in a very small box. If you think that the description of a know-it-all might 'fit' you, you'll benefit greatly from opening the door of your heart to a little humility. Nobody knows it all and most of us don't feel any shame about this when we recognise that the majority of people don't even feel comfortable around 'know-it-all's'. Some suggestions for this type of person would be to speak less and listen more. To explore why they feel that they should know it all and, every so often, to experiment with confessing their limitations. Gaining an understanding that learning is a gift that never stops giving and is a privilege and pleasure that we can enjoy until the day we die, will help you overcome this hurdle.
Laziness - preferring to do anything at all rather than something that might resemble hard work, which may be the category under which you've filed using your brainpower.
Laziness is a choice. Once you understand that only those who are willing to wave good-bye to laziness will be able to realise their potential; that only those who are prepared to make an effort will succeed; and that knowledge is indeed power, learning will become a pleasure rather than something that seems too much of an effort.
Fear of failure. For some people - usually those who found their school years to be a real struggle - acquiring knowledge may be intrinsically and painfully linked with the feelings of failure they experienced in their childhood years.
If you fit this category, you need to make the decision not to allow your past to define your future. Just because you struggled with learning in your formative years, does not necessarily mean that you'll have the same struggles now. Your maturity as well as a major change in the way knowledge if offered today, will help you get over this hurdle in no time at all and you will recognise that there is only one failure and... that is the failure to try.
In closing, let me remind you that knowledge equals power. The more power you have, the more opportunities will come your way. The more opportunities come your way, the greater your choices. The greater your choices, the greater the likelihood that you can live the life you want - A LIFE LIVED ON PURPOSE.
By Sonja Ridden
Comments
Post a Comment