I see you doing nothing! (Me too ??)

Our kitchen tap is dripping. Noisily. Annoyingly ??

Across the room on the worktop is a small white jiffy bag containing two replacement tap valve cartridges.

The bag has been sitting there since I ordered those parts a month ago.

I know what I need to do. I have the parts, tools and understanding (just) to fix the problem.

But I'm simply not doing it ??

I have a classic knowledge-action gap.

Humans have had this problem forever.

A quote attributed to the Buddha goes something like this - "to know and not to do is not yet to know". (I've also seen it attributed to Steven Covey, so I suspect the Buddha had a copy of "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People").

TS Eliot expressed it rather beautifully in The Hollow Men when he wrote "Between the conception / And the creation / Falls the Shadow".

Your granny knew it when she talked about the danger of being "all mouth and no trousers". (Yep, grannies can be a bit harsh, but you take her point).

It all boils down to the same thing.

We can know we'd like to make more headway with something in our career. To get better at something. To speak up, lead, present, listen, inspire, create, sell, network. Whatever it may be.

We can know how to do that, because we've read the books, listened to the podcasts, been to the workshops and the webinars.

But still we fall into the gap between knowledge and action. And do absolutely nothing.

So today why not peer into that gap between knowing and doing and see what's going on for you ...

?? Figure out what's sitting in the gap - a lack of time? confidence? energy? desire? Or perhaps it's fear? in which case, of what? (in my case, I suspect it's a fear of getting extremely damp if I don't isolate the water supply properly)

?? Take steps to address that barrier - what needs to change either internally or externally to clear it away? What incentive, motivation or urgency do you need to create that you don't currently have?

?? Find someone to support you - who could mentor you? provide accountability (aka a big kick up the butt)? give some encouragement or feedback on how you're doing?

?? Start small - in my case, I could simply get out the tools I need and put them next to the parts. Or clear the cupboard under the sink to give me clear access. Or practice turning off the water. You don't have to take your action all at once. Most gaps require a decent bridge, not a giant leap.

?? Think creatively - if the way you've been taught to do something doesn't appeal to you or suit you, why not devise and experiment with some new ways to approach your goal? (The word "plumber" is creeping into my mind. Don't worry, I'm fighting it.)

Now, excuse me, but I've got a dripping tap to fix. What action is on your agenda?

Stay curious,

Rachel

PS. Enjoy this unusual newsletter? Empower your people to take control of their own careers and be curious about their own development. Book me to run a workshop for your team in 2025. Just email me at [email protected]. I don't do boring.

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