Socrates said, “Knowing is not the same as doing”.

Knowing is having the knowledge or information about something. Doing is the action that produces a result.  Knowing is theory. Doing is practical. There is world of gap between them. 

We always know what to do (and how to do something), but we may not necessarily do what we know. An example – we know that we need to eat healthy, work out and get sufficient sleep to remain healthy. We never execute the actions to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The reason for the gap between knowing and doing – procrastination, hesitation, lack of confidence, getting used to following patterns sub consciously.

The primary culprit is procrastination – the intangible attribute that negatively impacts on a person’s quality of life. Lack of confidence in putting into action what one knows is a major contributor when knowing and doing are imbalanced. Doing things a certain way creates a subconscious pattern. Patterns tend to make people rigid and less flexible thereby not executing their knowledge into action.

Psychologists recognize this as a crucial element of mental health and offer expert solutions to overcome the gap. Self-help techniques such as setting smaller goals, defining timelines to ensure completion, journaling regularly can mitigate the gap between knowing and doing. 

Most importantly, it is important not to be too critical of one-self. Harsh self-judgment only lowers self-esteem and confidence. The vicious loop will only continue. Self-love and acceptance help in dealing with any situation head on. Now that we know this, Lets do it. Happy learning – Happier doing!