Are You Stuck In The Gap Between Knowing And Doing?

Do you know what you need to do but don’t do it? Knowing does not equal doing. Most people know how important exercise and proper nutrition are but don’t work out or eat well. Attorneys understand what could be done to forge new opportunities, yet they do not do it. Knowing what to do and how to do it isn’t enough to ensure a favorable long-term outcome.

For example, an attorney might understand that writing articles contributing to industry journals are a perfect way to showcase her expertise, but she doesn’t devote time to writing. An attorney could be aware that networking luncheons are a terrific way to be seen, and somehow these luncheons never make it onto his calendar. Some attorneys know that they should attend industry conferences to make more connections, but they never take the time to do the research to find out which ones are a good fit for their practice.

It is time to move the knowledge out of your head and put it into action. The delay in the transfer of knowledge to action today is mind-boggling.

There is a tremendous gap today between knowing and doing. You are in complete control of closing that gap. Most people know so much more than they think they do. They over-know and under-do. How wide is that gap in your practice? How much of a gap can you and your practice realistically sustain?

Knowledge doesn’t produce results, action does. I hear attorneys say, I know what I need to do. I know the actions that I need to take. Knowing is only half of the equation. The other half is doing, and doing it again and again until you develop the self-discipline to get the results that you want, and until the process becomes a habit. You can’t dabble in self-discipline and expect to prosper. Combining knowledge and action leads to results.

It is ridiculous to think that you could go to the gym once or twice a year and suddenly become a fitness guru; buy a cookbook, prepare a few meals, and become a master chef; or hit a bucket of golf balls on the driving range and become a golf pro. Self-discipline is needed to improve almost anything. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to learn a foreign language? Do you want to improve your sales results? Self-discipline is the speediest, most effective, and longest-lasting method that you may take to reach your goal.

Do you cringe at the idea of repeating an activity that you find difficult or doing a task over and over again in order to perfect it? Developing a skill that doesn’t come naturally to you may feel like a daunting task. You start the process but, inevitably, never see it through to completion because of a lack of self-discipline. The task may have become too difficult, so you give up. When you lack self-discipline, it’s easier to give up than to push through to the other side.

Discipline drives your actions, attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. When you lack discipline and don’t have a clear understanding of what you want, why you want it, and how to get it, you will be met with a series of setbacks and disappointments. Your life will be filled with frustration, anxiety, and failure. It doesn’t have to be that way.

After a few bad meetings with potential clients, a few presentations that yield no new business, or a dozen phone calls to prospects that go nowhere, you might decide that you don’t have what it takes to be phenomenal at sales.

Really, are you giving up that easily? Do you think that all it takes to be good at something is to try it a couple of times? You don’t have to love the task, but you do have to hunker down and finish it if you want to grow your business. I don’t love accounting, but I know that I have to keep my records up-to-date if I want to keep my finances in order.

Do you think that top athletes love to leap out of bed at 5:00 on cold winter mornings and put their bodies through hours of arduous training? They know that to win they must be disciplined in all of the areas of their lives that affect their performance.

Everyone knows that we all should exercise, eat right, and get plenty of sleep, but the price may be too high, and sometimes the motivation is too low to do what we ought to do. Everyone knows how to save money, but the immediate pleasure of treating ourselves to something that we can’t afford is much more exciting. The only way to be happy, healthy, thin, and rich is to pay the price, do the work, and remain self-disciplined.

Knowing isn’t doing. Knowing isn’t enough to produce results. Combine the knowing and the doing, and you get results.

PS. If you are struggling with closing business or you keep running into obstacles and issues in your practice, email or call to schedule a 30-minute complimentary call with me. You never know, it could change your lead conversion results and bottom line. This session is an opportunity for me to ask questions and learn where you are in your business, where you want to go, and what might be holding you back.

This is not a free coaching call. That would be irresponsible of me to offer you, as change doesn’t happen on one phone call. This is purely a chance for us to get to know each other.  To do that, we need to have a frank conversation about your practice first.