Knowing is Not Enough: 5 Strategies to Start Taking Action, Right Now!
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I love this quote. But it’s easier said than done, right?
You can read the books, take all the courses, listen to the podcasts, and fill your head with all the right knowledge. But if you're not putting it into practice, what good is it really doing you?
The Moment I Caught Myself Out
I've fallen into that trap before, even though I guide overachievers and recovering perfectionists to live in tune with their natural rhythms. I know how important it is to create space for rest and reflection, to follow my cyclical energy, and to give structure to my creativity.
And yet, there are times I just don't do it.
When I let the practices that sustain me quietly slip away, everything starts to feel harder. I don't do what I know I need to feel focused, inspired, and aligned with my work. I know this! I know that when I don’t create structure to hold me, when I don’t follow my daily rituals, when I don’t create space for rest and reflection or fun and joy, I lose my brilliance, in all senses of the word
Every moment is a choice between continuing old patterns or choosing something more supportive. Between knowing what works and actually doing it.
Why Action Matters
Put simply, action changes things.
Most of the challenges we face cannot be thought through; they have to be worked through. As important as planning is, all the thinking in the world is for nothing if you don’t move into action.
“All things are created twice... There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things”. ~ Steven Covey
A lot of the people I coach already know what they need to do.
Sure, I’ve usually got a few little tricks or tips that they haven’t come across but let’s get real: what I teach isn’t groundbreaking. It’s a collection of practices and tools that I have curated from my own teachers that at best I can claim to have an interesting perspective on. Not many people can apply military planning techniques and somatic practices to the same challenge.
For most people, it’s not about doing more. It’s about understanding where the resistance to action is coming from and working on that. It’s about taking the theory and applying it to your own life. It’s about experimenting and finding out what works for you. It’s about showing up every day and doing the work it takes to become the person you want to be.
We know, but we do not apply that knowledge. We say we are willing, but we do not actually do what is necessary.
Without action, without actually applying our knowledge and doing what must be done, we have nothing.
And it’s hard. It means taking risks. It means being on your tender edge with the noises in your head that say the unfamiliar isn't safe, that you're not enough anyway, that you'll never get it right.
If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done or be someone you haven’t yet been.
5 Strategies to Turn Knowledge Into Action
So how do you get started?
Here are five proactive tools I return to again and again.
1. Adopt the ‘MVP’ Attitude
Borrowed from Lean Startup principles, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is about launching the smallest version of something to learn from it. You don’t need to wait for perfect. Treat everything as an experiment. Your job is to take one small step, see what happens, and adjust.
In the words of one of my old RAF instructors: do, review, apply.
2. Don’t Just Take Someone’s Word For It
There is no shortage of brilliant content in the world. But don’t stop at reading. Try things. Test them. Embody them. Feel your way into what works for you. Make it lived wisdom, not just intellectual insight.
3. Choose One Thing and Actually Do It
Half-started projects, abandoned productivity tools, and information overload are exhausting. You do not need to be doing everything. Pick one thing. Do it well. Then decide what’s next.
Your focus is one of your most precious resources. Use it wisely.
4. Break Things Into Smaller Steps
Momentum is built from movement. If a task feels overwhelming, you probably need to go smaller. Start with something tiny. Let physics do the rest. Inertia works both ways: once you’re in motion, it’s easier to keep going.
5. Turn Ideas Into 10% Projects
Big changes are scary. So don’t start with big. Start with a 10% version. Thinking about changing careers? Volunteer. Curious about teaching? Host a one-off workshop. Try a tiny slice of your idea. Then decide.
You Know Enough. Now It’s Time to Do.
If you want something you’ve never had, you might have to do something you’ve never done or become someone you haven’t yet been.
Even the people who make it look easy find it hard sometimes. That’s why you don’t need to do it alone.
Find the support that helps you keep going. That keeps you accountable. That reminds you: you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to start.
Because that’s how you achieve the impossible.
This post was originally published on 27th September 2019 and updated on 21st March 2025.