Have you ever wondered why things don’t seem to be moving forward in your life? Have you gathered a lot of information from college, reading, or attending conferences and seminars, but still nothing seems to be happening with a dream you want to achieve?

I discovered the same thing in my own life. I wanted to know and understand my purpose, but everything I was learning didn’t seem to be helping me any.

The truth was, I was gathering a TON of information. The issue was that I had too much, and couldn’t read it all, and the other two things were that I wasn’t processing what I was learning and I wasn’t implementing what I was learning.

Two things that prevent people from moving forward is that once they have new knowledge, they don’t process it or seek to implement it.

I met a man recently who had 4 bachelor degrees and was working on a masters. We were working together and so one time he didn’t look like he was doing very well. I asked him how he was doing to which he replied, “I’ve just got a lot on my plate. My schedule is packed and I’m trying to handle many things. It is also very difficult being broke.” Here is a man who has 4 degrees, working on a masters, had three rental properties (I found this out later), and yet he wasn’t where he wanted to be in life.

Don’t get me wrong, I think that a degree is great. Go get yourself a degree and some knowledge, but few, and I mean very few people in this world right now, seem to actually understand how to take that knowledge and apply it in life. My pastor once told me that wisdom is knowledge applied. The man in the previous paragraph, obviously hadn’t applied any of that knowledge he gained from school.

So, what do you and I do now that we understand that there is a disconnect between having knowledge and applying that knowledge?

Here is what I do and maybe you can make your own process that works for you, too. Anytime I have new knowledge come in, I ask…

1. Is this good and valuable information? There is a ton of noise out in the world today. You have to sort through it. Have you heard this before or is it new information?
2. Will this information address your current need or problem? If it doesn’t, then you might archive it for future reference, but don’t spend too much time on it.
3. What must I do with this new knowledge? For instance, if you’re at a marriage conference, before you leave, write out some of the new ways you’ll implement the information to strengthen your marriage when you get home and how you will continue to review it. This way you already have an action plan that you must do. Don’t procrastinate on implementing the new knowledge.
4. Does any of this new knowledge need to become a habit? You might implement the knowledge once, but if you don’t continue with it, then it has done you no good. Therefore, you must figure out a behavior or mental trigger that will remind you to do it. As you do this regularly, then it will become a habit.
5. Has implementing this new knowledge given me the results I needed? Not every type of information is going to help everyone the same way. Take for instance weight loss. There is a ton of knowledge, diets, and programs to help you. What I have found is that there is no one solution for everyone looking to become healthy. You need to find the one that you like the most.

Question: What is your process for gathering, implementing and sustaining new knowledge? Is there a part of this process that you need to work on? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.