The Gap Between Knowing and Doing

A man came up to me after a seminar once. He said, Mr. Rohn, I've read every book you've recommended. I've got notebooks full of ideas. I know exactly what I need to do.

I said, wonderful. So how's your business?

He looked at the floor. He said, well, I haven't actually started it yet.

I said, my friend, you don't have a knowledge problem. You have a doing problem.

And that's a whole different category.

The Seeds in the Bag

Here's a picture for you. A farmer who knows everything about corn. He's studied the soil composition. He knows the optimal planting depth. He can tell you the nitrogen requirements down to the decimal point. He's got the finest seeds money can buy sitting in a bag in his barn.

But he never puts them in the ground.

Now here's my question: Does the marketplace care how much he knows about corn?

The marketplace says, where's the corn? I came to buy corn. Show me the corn.

And the farmer says, well, let me tell you about the corn I could grow.

See, the marketplace doesn't reward intention. It rewards execution. The marketplace doesn't pay for potential. It pays for production.

We call that a fundamental law of economics.

Spring Doesn't Wait

Here's what I learned from growing up on a farm in Idaho. Spring has a window. The ground thaws, the temperatures rise, and for a few precious weeks the conditions are right for planting.

Now suppose you spend those weeks reading about planting. Studying the almanac. Perfecting your understanding of seed germination.

What happens?

Summer comes anyway. The window closes. And all your knowledge becomes philosophy.

Good phrase to know — the window closes.

Somebody says, I'll plant when I'm ready. And I say, spring doesn't care if you're ready. Spring operates on its own schedule. You work with spring, or you miss spring. There's no third option.

Life works the same way. Opportunities have windows. The economy shifts. Markets change. What works today might not work next year.

The person who acts on partial knowledge often beats the person who waits for complete knowledge. Because complete knowledge is a fantasy anyway. You learn the rest by doing.

The Hiding Place

Now here's something interesting. Why do intelligent people accumulate knowledge but avoid action?

I'll tell you what I've observed. Knowledge feels like progress without the risk of failure.

You read a book — you feel like you've accomplished something. You take notes at a seminar — you feel like you're moving forward. You can spend years feeling productive while never producing anything.

It's comfortable in the library. Nobody rejects you in the library. The books don't tell you no. The ideas don't hurt your feelings.

But the marketplace? The marketplace has opinions. Customers say yes or no. The numbers tell the truth whether you want to hear it or not.

So knowledge becomes a hiding place. A man says, I'm still preparing. What he means is, I'm still avoiding.

And I understand the fear, I really do. Failure is uncomfortable. Rejection stings. It's easier to read about swimming than to jump in the water.

But here's what I found out — the water is where you learn to swim. Not the books about swimming. The water itself.

The Millionaire and the Professor

A professor can explain the theory of wealth creation for three hours. He can draw charts. He can cite studies. He can quote economists you've never heard of.

Then a millionaire walks in who never finished college. And the professor says, how did you do it?

The millionaire says, I started a business selling vacuum cleaners door to door. I got rejected about a thousand times. I learned what worked and stopped doing what didn't. I hired people. I made mistakes. I fixed them. Here I am.

The professor says, but what about the economic theories?

The millionaire says, I don't know much about theories. I just know about vacuums and doors and people who need their carpets cleaned.

See, the millionaire has something the professor doesn't have — results. He traded knowing for doing. And the marketplace rewarded him for the trade.

Now I'm not against education. I'm against education as a substitute for action. The two should work together — learn, then do. Learn some more, then do some more.

But doing must be in the sequence somewhere, right? Otherwise you're just collecting recipes and never cooking dinner.

The Assignment

So here's what I want you to consider.

What do you already know that you're not doing?

Not what do you need to learn — what do you already know? What's sitting in the bag like those seeds?

Maybe it's a conversation you've been avoiding. A phone call you haven't made. A business you haven't started. A book you haven't written.

You've got the knowledge. The question is whether you've got the courage to use it.

And my friend, spring doesn't last forever. Your window is open right now, today. The conditions might not be perfect — they never are. But they're good enough to begin.

I learned something from Mr. Shoaff years ago that stuck with me. He said, Jim, don't wish it were easier. Wish you were better. Don't wait for ideal circumstances. Start with what you have.

The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn't filled with more knowledge. It's filled with action — imperfect, uncomfortable, necessary action.

So plant something. Today. Before the sun goes down.

See what grows.