You’ve probably heard the phrase “knowledge is power.”
I disagree.
Knowledge is just fuel at rest, waiting to be used. Action is power.
The Problem with Reading More
I’ve met countless entrepreneurs who read voraciously: twenty, thirty books a year on leadership, productivity, and personal growth. They highlight passages, take notes, and feel great about their commitment to learning.
But when I ask what they’ve actually changed as a result of all that reading, the room goes quiet.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: reading about fitness doesn’t make you fit. Reading about leadership doesn’t make you a leader. And reading about personal growth doesn’t mean you’re actually growing.
John Maxwell often says he reads a good book twice: once to mark the book, and a second time to let the book mark him. That second read is where transformation happens. It’s where knowledge becomes action.
The Gift of Action
Too often, we read the words and devote little time to acting on what we’ve read. We feel productive because we’re consuming information, but consumption isn’t creation. Input isn’t output.
Give yourself the gift of action as you go. After all, there’s no inside-out growth without it.
When I work with coaching clients, we don’t just explore concepts. We implement them. We set deadlines, build habits, and create systems that turn insight into change.
The Challenge
What’s one thing you’ve learned recently that you haven’t acted on?
What would it look like to implement it this week, not perfectly, but actually?
The philosophy of Goodness over Greatness isn’t just about thinking differently. It’s about living differently. And living starts with a single step.
