Ep.14: Breaking through the knowledge myth
We're all taught that if we want to get somewhere then we have to learn, then apply, then repeat until we get there. Easy right? But image how many people buy the newest course or the newest book on h...
Episode Transcript
The Self-Awareness Myth
There's a big misconception in the mindfulness space, the self-awareness space, the personal development space: that self-awareness by itself is enough to get you where you want to go. If you have a goal in mind, a vision in mind, the idea is that being aware of the obstacles, the limiting beliefs, the patterns, the triggers is enough to get you there.
For anyone who's been in my ecosystem for even a few minutes, you'd know self-awareness is the main thing I teach, so I'm not undermining its value. Without it, you're shooting in the dark — it's definitely an important first step. But I don't think it's a magic pill, because you may be watching this and be aware of the obstacles in your way, the patterns, the beliefs you have around it, the triggers, the thoughts and feelings you go through, acutely aware of those things, and yet still not be where you want to go. So in that case, is self-awareness by itself enough?
Something Else Is Missing
If self-awareness is enough, then either we're not self-aware enough yet, or there's something else missing that you need to get there. That's what we're going into today, because it's something I think a lot of people aren't told, and it's really frustrating, especially if you like learning things and learning new strategies and tools to make your life better.
You feel like applying them will get you to where you want to go, so you apply them and learn even more, and nothing changes. You just get stuck in this loop of doing the things, applying the things, learning more things, and your life isn't moving in the way you want it to.
By all means, it may move in small ways — you may get better with your diet, your routine, your workout. But in the big ways — making more money, being more independent, being in a better relationship — these things aren't happening for you. And everyone teaching you this stuff, the books, the coaches, the courses, they all have it. It's confusing above all else, because what do you do?
The Endless Learner Loop
So that's what we're really going to delve into. My hope is that by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly what's been holding you back, and that maybe what you've been doing, with a small shift, can take you leaps and bounds ahead of where you are.
I went into this a little bit, well, a lot, in a previous episode on the endless learner loop, and these are very similar, but I wanted to go into more detail because it's a huge topic. For those who haven't seen that yet, the entire premise is that no amount of learning is going to get you to where you want to go. And that sounds crazy, I know, right?
Learning Doesn't Equal Getting There
We're all told that if you want to get somewhere, if you have a goal in mind, you learn the tools, learn the strategies, learn the techniques, and you'll get there. But maybe you've done that and you're still here. It makes sense — I completely understand that it makes complete logical sense that if you have a problem, you learn about it and you can fix it. That does make sense.
But let me ask you: imagine how many people take a course, get a coach, or read a book about being successful, if that's the goal, compared to how many people actually get there, even if they apply it. How many people do you think actually get there?