Happy Memorial Day!!! I hope you finish your weekend great.
Last week we discussed Auto-Suggestion.
This week we discuss Specialized Knowledge, Napoleon Hill’s Fourth Characteristic of Successful People. There are two types of knowledge, general knowledge and specialized knowledge. General knowledge is generic and may or may not be helpful in achieving success, but specialized knowledge sets you apart, it makes you unique and you can create more value for others when you can solve specific problems.
The key to converting Desire, Faith and Auto-Suggestion into success starts with an idea. You have to decide on your major purpose in life, the goal that you are working toward and the types of problems you want to solve – this will, in large part, determine the type of specialized knowledge that you need. Once you know the critical areas of knowledge to focus on, your next step is to identify reliable sources of this knowledge. You may possess or learn this knowledge yourself or work with others that can support you. The knowledge and information that you need generally comes from:
- Your own experience
- Your own education
- Experience and education of others – employees, consultants, master mind group
- Books – any topic you are interested in can be found organized in books
- Schools – colleges, universities, vocational programs
- Special training programs – industry associations, manufacturers, consultants
Successful people, in all walks of life, never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose, business or profession.
Have your ever heard the expression, “Knowledge Is Power”? This is only partially correct, knowledge put into action is power, but knowledge itself is only potential power.
For example, you know how to lose weight and be fit – eat healthy and move your body in some form of exercise at least 3 times a week. Have you lost that last 10 pounds? Or the first 10 pounds? This is a perfect example of how knowing something is significantly different from putting that knowledge into action.
Our traditional education system teaches people how to acquire knowledge, but does not go to the next step of connecting how to organize and implement that knowledge for the purpose of achievement, beyond the classroom. The key to specialized knowledge is learning how to organize and use this knowledge after you acquire it.
Think about your own time in the spray foam insulation industry. You have learned ideas and concepts ranging from application, preparation, troubleshooting, building codes and building science from many different sources, and you have had to figure out how to best consolidate and implement this knowledge in your business. The difference between you and your competitors is the knowledge you have acquired, how you manage this knowledge and how you use this knowledge to propel your business forward. The knowledge alone will not result in success, it has to be organized and intelligently directed, through a practical action plan.
In the process of seeking out this knowledge, determining how to implement it and preparing your action plan, you do not have to do this alone. You should surround yourself with a group of knowledgeable people that can help you find the knowledge, plan its use and carry out the action plan. This would include any of your key business advisors, consultants and your internal team of employees.
Wrapping up, I leave you with this quote from Napoleon Hill:
Before you can be sure of your ability to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent, you will require specialized knowledge of the service, merchandise or profession you intend to offer in return for fortune.
Stay tuned to learn more about Napoleon Hill’s success principles from Think and Grow Rich. Next week we will talk about Imagination.
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