Knowing Isn’t Doing

How many times did your parents say, “What goes around comes around?” I’m sure they’re not the only ones who gave you guidance. Your doctor probably told you to exercise and eat well, your coach taught you to master the fundamentals, and even your conscience got into the act by telling you to do what’s right. In fact, you’ve probably received enough advice to last a lifetime. The problem is that knowing isn’t doing.

Even though you know what’s best for you, you don’t always follow those precepts. To make matters worse, I’m sure you know that failing to do those things will come back to bite you one day. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t motivate most people to change their ways.

25 Principles That Can Change Your Life

If you know that something is in your best interest, why not act on it? Here are 25 life lessons to consider:

Knowledge isn’t power if you don’t act on it.

Make your priorities a priority.
Choose the right path rather than the easy one.
Begin each day’s journey with a 10-minute walk within your soul.
Eat a well-balanced diet and feed your mind, too.
Surround yourself with top-notch people. Their behavior is contagious.
Believe in the impossible. And then prove it can be done.
Save when you don’t need it, and it’ll be there for you when you do.
Invest in relationships to avoid the time repairing them.
Be willing to pay the price for success.
Share in the work if you want to share in the rewards.
Keep learning — even when you’re busy.
Throw away the bad experience but save the lesson.
Strive for win-win rather than winner-take-all agreements.
Make a life while you make a living.
Share at least one meal a day with your family.
Learn how to take a five-minute vacation.
Define success as being more rather than having more.
Be a collector of moments, not things.
Appreciate what you have, and you’ll never want for more.
Pass your values on to your kids, or someone else will.
Make yourself proud. You must live with yourself for the rest of your life.
Care not only about where life is taking you, but how you’re getting there as well.
Take ownership of your life decisions rather than relinquishing that responsibility to others.
Be a good person. Everything else is secondary.
Listen to your conscience. That’s why you have one.

It’s Your Life to Live … Own It!

If you found yourself agreeing with the preceding list, that’s wonderful. But what matters most isn’t knowing what’s right but doing what’s right.

If that seems reasonable, what’s holding you back? If you’re waiting for someone to do it for you, you’re dreaming. You, and you alone, are responsible for your life. So, you can talk a big game or wish until the cows come home, but if you don’t follow through on your priorities, you won’t achieve your goals.

When you do nothing, nothing happens.

You won’t always realize an immediate benefit for doing the right thing. But when you do what’s right, things have a funny way of falling into place. The alternative is complaining that other people have it easier, that the world is against you, or that life isn’t fair. But the truth is that other people may be doing something to make things happen — and you’re not.

Doing what’s right won’t always produce immediate returns. And it won’t always be easy or convenient. That’s the point. The true reward for living a good life isn’t the fame and fortune that comes with success, but rather, it’s knowing that you earned it the right way. As Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, said, “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”

Check out Frank’s new book, The Path to a Meaningful Life.