11/09/2013
What you hear, you forget; what you see, you remember; what you do, you understand.
I am sure that everyone who reads this Tip has heard a statement similar to this sometime in their life. Anyone who has been around an educational program, a seminar leader or a motivational speaker, has heard over and over again that in order to be successful, you have to do more than just hear things. You have to actually put them into practice. This week, I want to emphasize one particular aspect of this concept.
We communicate on a daily basis with words. We relate to our families, friends and the significant other people in our lives, all with words. We all hear so much information everyday. Ours truly is a verbal society.
Also, you cannot walk through an airport, a shopping mall, a motel lobby, or any other area, without seeing many advertisements or signs being displayed. Even as we drive along the highway, we are bombarded by road signs and billboards trying to give us directions and information. We see a lot of information everywhere we go.
Although we communicate with words, and learn much by what we see, I firmly believe that most of us are not willing to take the third step and actually do something about what we see and hear. I also believe the reason for this is fear of failure. Most of us have good intentions and are well-meaning people. However, the rubber meets the road when we are actually willing to step out and try to learn something by doing it.
When was the last time you tried to do something that you had no idea how to do? You may have failed miserably in the process but probably learned a valuable lesson. I realize that sometimes we step out and try to do something we have not done previously and we succeed! That is a good feeling. But, many times we meet failure squarely in the face in that process, and that is an uncomfortable feeling.
I am a well-educated individual. I say that with all humility, but I have had the opportunity to graduate from five different colleges. I have been exposed to a massive amount of information. Yet, even in my own life, I find the only part of my education that really is valuable to me, is what I actually do. Let me give you two examples.
I have had an interest in the housing market for a number of years because I understand how valuable real estate can be. However, it was not until November, 2005, that I actually purchased my first property. I can tell you that I have learned more about real-estate in the last fourteen months from first-hand experience than I learned from all the books I ever read, or seminars I ever attended. It came about not by looking at it or hearing about it, but by actually getting involved in the process. I know I still have a lot to learn but I can see how the “doing” aspect of the process has greatly increased my learning ability.
The second example has to do with my computer. It is incredibly frustrating to me to work with a machine that is so much smarter than I am! It is a highly technical process. Yet, in the last five or six years, I have decided it is time to enter the world of technology by asking questions, learning and being willing to fail. Don’t get me wrong, I am still no computer whiz, but I am very, very grateful for how comfortable I now feel working on my computer. I have had some great help from people who have been patient to show me how to do things rather than just telling me about them.
I have a friend who has gone to law school, but has not yet passed the bar exam. She came to one of our training programs and told the class, “I had to hire a personal trainer to help me pass the bar exam.” She said that he would often get frustrated and fuss at her, but she would always remind him that she was paying for him to tutor her. One day she told him, “What you are doing may feel good to you, but it is not helping me at all!” She captured the concept I am trying to communicate. Just explaining and showing someone how to do something is not very helpful. But, actually letting them do it, even if they fail, is the real key to learning and success. They will learn from their mistakes as well as their successes.
Let me encourage you to move into the world of “doers”. Stop looking. Stop talking. Start doing! You will be the one who profits most from this transformation.
Have a great week! God bless you!
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