I wrote this before my 7-day digital detox. I'm back online tomorrow. This Friday's paid article and private podcast will be about what I learned during the detox. If you want access, subscribe to the paid tier below.
I’m currently reading two books:
The Courage to Be Happy by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Company of One by Paul Jarvis
Every morning I love to read for a solid 10 to 30 minutes. I just read until I want to stop. In my reading session, I saw this quote that really made me laugh:
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” - Miles Kington
It really made me laugh because, being in the coaching space for over six years now, I can’t tell you the amount of people that tell me they know how to work out. They know how to eat properly. And honestly, most of them are right. They do have great general knowledge on how to do these things. The information is everywhere. You can learn almost anything from YouTube, podcasts, and books.
But knowing and doing are two very different things. Most people I talk to aren’t lacking knowledge. They’re lacking implementation. They know what to eat but they’re not eating it. They know they should train three to four times a week but they’re doing it once or twice. The gap isn’t information. It’s action.
And then there’s a deeper level beyond just doing it. There is a specialization, an expertise, that comes from having been through it consistently over time, which develops a wisdom that general knowledge alone can’t give you.
I wanted to share this because it’s one thing to listen to podcasts, to read books, to have conversations with friends. That’s what I call “head knowledge.” Knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Then there’s “body knowledge.” The kind that comes from taking action and implementing. Once you start to actually do the thing, you realize that not all knowledge is good and not all knowledge makes sense, because there’s a difference between theoretical and practical.
When you transition to the practical of actually working out three to four times a week, of actually having to navigate stressful moments where you want to eat certain food and you know you shouldn’t, of meal prepping and eating out and making real decisions in real time, a wisdom starts to build. A practical knowledge that no book can teach you.
I see this in myself too. I’m learning how to play piano right now. I can read about notes and how to read music, but actually sitting down and playing is teaching me very different things than what I’m learning in a book.
It applies to other areas of life too. I’ve read books on marriage that didn’t change anything in my relationship because I never actually implemented what was in them. I’ve read business books that sat on my shelf and made me feel productive without ever changing how I ran my company. The real shifts came when I started doing the uncomfortable thing, not reading about it.
As I’m writing this, it’s a reminder for myself as well. Continue to take imperfect action. Continue to implement. That is where the biggest learning curves and most valuable lessons come from. There’s only so much theory I can cram into my brain before I realize that my life won’t change from having information in my head. I actually need to act on it.
And the whole point of taking action is that it’s going to be imperfect, because if I already knew what I was doing I wouldn’t need the theory in the first place.
Take massive imperfect action. It will teach you far more than reading any book or taking any course.
I also believe in having guidance, which is why I’ve had mentors and coaches for the past decade plus of my life. This has helped me move forward in my business, my own health and transformation, my relationship with my wife, and how I’ve designed my life. Why make all the mistakes when I can learn from someone who’s already made the majority of them?
Sometimes my specific situation required a conversation that a book couldn’t give me, which is why talking to someone who has been where I wanted to go has always shortened the learning curve.
My invitation for you is to take action on the thing you want, even though it’s scary, even though you don’t have all the information.
I promise you will learn far more than through reading books and taking courses alone. Because right now there are people out there who would put tomato in a fruit salad, and I don’t want you to be one of them.
And before I wrap up this article, I do believe in putting quality input into your mind. I love books and courses and mentors because they’ve changed my life, but I was definitely once in a place where I was just reading books and courses and accumulating more knowledge. I thought that I needed more and more and more to change my life and change my health, but the real change came when I realized that I wasn’t taking action on any of the things that I was reading and learning.
Taking action is what changed my life, what changed my health, what changed my body. I believe in the power of quality input, but there needs to be action implemented from the new knowledge you’ve acquired in order for you to benefit from the information that you’ve gained. I hope this makes sense, and I hope this serves you on your journey.
Sincerely,
Maxime
