Who Says Knowledge Is Power?
Whoever first said that knowledge is power was probably selling
encyclopedias. Knowledge is a tool, like money and influence.
Tools are only powerful if they are used effectively. How, then,
do you make a headful of knowledge into a powerful tool?
1. By seeing clearly what can be done.
2. By seeing clearly your own limitations.
3. By acting on what you know.
Wise Action, Not Knowledge, Is Power
Investors often learn so much that they think they can
consistently predict the course of the stock market. In reality,
there are probably fewer than ten old investors that have never
lost money. Wise investors know that the best they can do is get
the odds in their favor, so they'll have more wins than losses.
You have to see the limitations of knowledge.
I can read about how to sing, and even get advice from a voice
coach, but I can't sing well. I'm not saying that I could never
sing well, only that right now I cannot. If I'm not willing to
do what is necessary, then I would be wise to look for a
non-singing way to make money. You have to see our own
limitations.
The most important part of making knowledge into power, is to
act. You can study political philosophy and every aspect of the
political process for a decade, and still have no power. Power
is in the effective application of what you know.
Imagine an inventor with a hundred ideas on paper. He has a head
full of knowledge, and a creative imagination, but nothing to
show for it. Now imagine a simple man with one new invention,
who understands the limits of innovation without marketing, and
sees his own limitations in that area. He seeks out the people
that can help, and makes a million. Now that's power.