Actually, I will add a small twist to this post and I will include a personal story that involves me being in debt and how I just kept digging a hole for myself.
One thing I remember doing was purchasing books and literally rushing to read them as fast as I can. It usually took me like a couple of weeks to finish a book, sometimes less then 2 weeks. This was great actually because it added a great spark for me to bring up my spirits but it was lacking one big thing.
- I was reading one book while already buying 3 more to read
- Buying books for money I didn’t have
- Believing in the hype of the books
- Not going out and trying what was recommended in the book
Stop reading about it and do it
What was the knowledge I got in the end?
Simple. Running a business is simple. But what’s the reality?
Yet, I never went out and started one. I was more focused on what I would achieve after having a successful business.
I did attempt a few business ventures but it usually stopped at the planning stages because I simply thought it was either:
- too hard
- lost interest
- no support
- thinking way too ahead
- having no process or system in mind
Not only did I spend money I did not, accumulate debt, believe the hype but I also did not take any action. For whatever reason, I thought that the knowledge I got from these books would give me an advantage and I knew what I was doing. Yet I went around giving people advice whenever the topic of starting a business came up. It was embarrassing too when I jumped on a new business idea and started telling everyone about it and then few months down the road, I completely abandon the business and my friends ask me how the business is going.
What do i tell them then?
I think another problem with our generation is that we have this entitled mentality that everything is to be given to us right away without much work. We think we will find gold in the rough and strike it rich. Look around all the stories of success and having to grow up with this, it puts in image of riches and wealth without seeing the real struggle to get to their.
Do you have any examples of yourself or others that say one thing yet they have no experience in doing it?
Examples…
- My brother tells me he knows how to manage money yet he has no credit history, no credit cards, no bills. Can he really tell me it is easy to manage money?
- My friend wanting to play with $1000 bank roll for poker when he has won nothing while playing poker for 2 years now and losing out at least 2k, where do you draw the line?
Extra Reading…
3 good habits that outlived their usefulness
The only failure is failing to learn
The real cost of graduate school
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Andrew
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Nothing teaches like experience. Nothing teaches experience like doing.
I used to wonder why but now I get how learning sinks deeper from intellectual to emotional to physical (or “I get it” … “I feel it” … “it’s baked in my body.”)
J.D.’s last blog post..Top 10 Lessons Learned in Interpersonal Skills
J.D., thanks for your comment.
You are right, it sticks so much more when we “get it”. Although, the other thing to consider is, that not all of us are strong enough to pick ourselves up and keep going.
Finding the courage to “do the something” I have knowledge about is often my challenge.
Thank you so much for the mention Tomasz! You picked a post of mine that took a lot of courage to write. 
Squawkfox’s last blog post..397 Ways To Save Money by Kerry K. Taylor
Thanks for your comment Kerry.
Well I am glad you wrote the article because it has been something tough for me to go through as well.
Keep up the great content.