Have you heard that knowledge is power?
Well, that’s a myth.
Knowledge alone is not power. Applied knowledge is power.
If you want to be average and not stand out, then you’ll operate on this myth. Think about it. How many people do you know who really know a lot? Ask them any factoid, piece of trivia, intimate details of a process or an operation and they know. But, ask them to apply it or to review how it’s been applied and the best practices of what worked and what didn’t and they’re stumped.
Competing on results
It’s not enough that we know things. We need to know. Apply what we know. Gain experiential knowledge. Adjust. Then, repeat that process.
Today we compete on results not just on knowledge. After all, we have the world’s biggest living library easily accessible through mobile and can search anything we need to know.
Those who can apply it and garner results yield personal brands that are more respected and more powerful.
Ask yourself – how am I applying this?
As a parent of a young school aged child, I ask – what did you learn today? I think the next question we ask is even more important – what will you do or can you do with what you learned today?
Sometimes the answer is nothing. And, we laugh about that. But, we also learn.
Are you asking yourself that question?
I find that the quality of your life is directly related to the quality of the questions you ask. [tweet this]
It’s these questions that will provide direction and the course correction you need to meet or exceed your goals.
Related Stories from Personal Branding Blog
Should you do it yourself? Should you enlist the assistance of others?
Another one of those quick quotes I heard and keep top of mind (I only wish I could give proper credit to who created it):
You lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink; You can lead a person to knowledge but you can’t make him think.
Starting today, assess:
1. Where you’ve been.
- 5 zodiac signs who are shy on the surface but deeply kind underneath - Parent From Heart
- 8 subtle signs you had an emotionally tough childhood, according to psychology - The Blog Herald
- People who give into temptation easily typically display these 8 personality traits, says a psychologist - Baseline
What knowledge have you recently acquired and how are you applying it?
2. Where you’re going.
What have you learned from experiential knowledge (knowledge gained through actual life experience), and what gaps do you need to fill by acquiring more knowledge and how will you apply this new knowledge?
What I appreciate most about the Personal Branding Blog authors is they have experiential knowledge that they share with you every single day.
- Good-Natured Humor Enhances Your Personal Brand by Debra Benton
- Not Getting Results Using Social Media? Here’s Why by Crystal Washington
- Why Your Boss Probably Hates You by Nance Rosen
- Networking Tips by Ceren Cubukcu
- How to Overcome Office Politics by Heather Huhman
- Why Are Interviewers So Selective? by Alex Freund
- Sales Errors to Avoid to be Successful by Elinor Stutz
- 4 Ways to Ask For a Flexible Work Schedule by Glassdoor.com
- Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams by Richard Kirby
- The Three Most Awesome and Horrible People on Social Media by Crystal Washington
- Small Business Owners: Is Your Personal Brand Suffering? by Maria Elena Duron
- Intentions are Important, but Results get Counted by Jeff Shuey
- When You Should Say YES! to the Counteroffer by Skip Freeman
- Top New Social Networks for Branding by Susan Gilbert
- Promote and Profit with Education-Based Marketing by Leslie Truex
- Employment Dynamic Has Shifted: Understand Benefits of ‘The Alliance’ by Beth Kuhel
- What is Your Current Salary? by Marc Miller
- How to Become More Influential Around the Office by Ken Sundheim