The Value of KnowledgeBy Betty Ann Wilkins © 2000

For centuries it has been said that knowledge is power. Is this really true? I do not believe so.Let me start by saying that knowledge is a necessity andcan be extremely valuable, but it is not power. Having knowledge merely gives you the power to make good decisionsand thereby act on those decisions. Ah, the real power is in ACTION. Let me give you an example. If you are sitting on somerailroad tracks and a train is coming your way, it is notenough to know that you should move off the tracks. Youhave to get off the tracks. You must take action. You see, without action, knowledge is worthless.It doesn't matter what knowledge you acquire or how muchof it you gain on a particular subject, it is useless until you take action. Think about it! Will reading and learning everything there is to know about being a glamorous movie star make you one? Of course not. I am not saying that you should not learn new things. It is imperative to have knowledge in order to be able to take action. Nowadays, you need a college degree just to get an entry level job but it in no way gets you any type of promotion or better paying job. Through experience, showing that you can take what you have learned and put it into practice is what gets you a promotion or raise. Many highly educated people are working in menial jobs, while we have millionaires that don't even have a high school diploma. How can this be? Very simply, even though they did not excel in academics, they did excel at taking action, trying new things, experimenting, learning through experience. How does all this apply to you? If you truly want to succeed, you must first acquire a bit of knowledge, but most importantly you must take what you know and act on it. Eagerly and ambitiously act on what you have learned and you will succeed.