It’s so obvious a statement that it’s not particularly interesting. It illustrates the point that knowing something (saying “knowing isn’t doing”) by itself is not very compelling. It’s relatively easy to know something (“daily flossing is good for me”) and talk about it (“It would be better if I flossed daily”), but it does nothing to improve the health of my gums.
The fact that it can be so difficult to move from knowing to doing underscores the fact that they are different states of being. Concepts on their own are not enough to drive action.
When we take a concept (“I should floss daily”) and anchor it to a value (like health) and /or a principle (“I am responsible for myself”), we give it weight. When it has enough weight, it can support a goal (I’m going to floss every day for 1 month.) Grounded in values and principles, concepts become actions, which in turn becomes being (“I am a flosser”.)
The bridge inside us between the conceptual and the real is made of values, principles, purpose and action.
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