The Right Kind Of Knowledge Empowers

Sir Francis Bacon wrote that “Knowledge is power.” There are times that empowering ourselves by acquiring the knowledge necessary to maximize the chances of success when we find our passion means getting the right type of formal education. During this economic downturn, many people are returning to the classroom to complete degrees or pursue an advanced degree.

There are other times when the education we need to optimize the chances for success in following our passion simply requires strengthening certain areas where we are lacking. Let me tell you about a man I met many years ago. In addition to a degree in business, he had a passion for golf and a dream of opening a golf specialty store. For several years he scrimped and saved until he had the necessary funds to rent retail space, order stock and have a grand opening. At first things went pretty well for him, then problems set in. He quickly discovered that the city he lived in wasn’t big enough to support the type of store he envisioned, so in an effort to appeal to the average duffer, he brought in less expensive equipment. Then a couple of major discount chains moved in and he was forced to close.

“That was the happiest four years of my life” he confided, “I was happy even during the lean times when I was doing all the work because I couldn’t afford employees.” I asked him what he would do differently if he tried it again. “It’s not a question of IF I try it again,” he said, “It’s a question of WHEN I try it again.” He explained that his problem the first time was that he followed his passion without educating himself about the realities of retailing and not knowing the competition. To prepare himself to “do it right” the next time he follows his passion he was working as a retail manager for a well known discount company and continuing to build relationships with people in the golfing equipment industry.

The last time I heard from him, he told me he had the money he needed to start over, that he had been researching cities and planned to relocate to either Dallas or Houston before opening his new store. Then he added, “If I had taken the time, even after I opened the first store, to educate myself a little better about the market and the competitive arena, I would have probably still been in business because I would have done things differently.”

Sometimes the education we need to get the most out of our passion means additional formal education, at other times it simply requires that we gain some practical experience in areas we need to strengthen. But many times the only education we need is to apply ourselves to mastering those things that have made others successful.

This can be done in any number of ways including investing in seminars, workshops, books and tapes. Attending programs, reading books and listening to tapes allows you to study how successful people in the field have achieved their success and adapt what they have done to your activities. Naturally, you will also want to turn your existing knowledge of what you are doing into expertise by keeping up to date on advances and other pertinent information.

It is also very important to educate yourself about the people you will be dealing with and their concerns. If you are in sales, this means understanding your target market’s business, the typical buying process and how they like to be “sold”. If you are in a corporate environment, then you need to learn as much as possible about the departments you interact with and how your work contributes to their success, as well as the overall success of the company.

Finally, you can help educate yourself by finding a good mentor, someone who has achieved success and is willing to be both a sounding board for ideas and coach you in your career development.

When you find your passion, you can overcome the fear that you’ll not succeed by feeding your faith in your abilities while not exaggerating your fears, and empowering yourself by taking the steps necessary to increase your confidence through the power of acquired knowledge.
Have a great and profitable week!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com