We live in such a lucky time in which – for some – ignorance has become a decision of their own. Think about it for a moment: to obtain specific knowledge, our parents, grandparents, and all our ancestors had to spend time, energy, and even money.

They would go to the library, to the office of a person or entity related to their concern, browse through the material until they found what they were looking for, make photocopies or use paper and pencil to take the information home and then slowly digest it and use it for whatever they needed.

Today, you and I have the power of information literally at our fingertips. The possibility of being able to satisfy any curiosity, no matter how small it may seem, in a matter of seconds. We don’t have to type anymore. What used to require an interview with an expert, today we can ask Siri or Alexa and they can tell us whatever we want.

Make the best use of your unlimited access to information

To me, being labeled as a “nerd” or “geek” is far from being an insult. On the contrary, I find it fascinating to have the ability to be interested in a topic and to put all your efforts into knowing more details, researching everything, and even becoming obsessed with it. If we all were a little more passionate about knowledge, the fate of our race, in general, would be in better conditions.

Simply because with greater knowledge it is much easier to build a prosperous future, regardless of your area of expertise. That is my humble opinion, of course. With such availability of information, we should be able to build a successful future, which is more acceptable than the bleak future provided by doing nothing.

Growing up, I was given nicknames for my love of reading. They called me “walking Wikipedia” or “walking encyclopedia”. Today I consider that if they did so with the intention of making fun of that kid, for having an insatiable desire for information and knowledge, for always having his face in a book or answering the questions they asked, well, for me it was and still is an honor.

It is a great pleasure to fill myself with knowledge and share it with those who come to me. I have always admired men like King Solomon, who were able to gain great favor from God and gain wisdom in return.

But without action, knowledge is useless

Knowledge and action must go hand in hand. Action must follow great knowledge in order to make the most of it. And if you don’t apply your knowledge, it fades away. What’s the point of studying haute cuisine abroad if no one ever tastes one of your appetizers?

It is pointless to be full of information but lack the motivation or drive to get going. Many people have a lot of knowledge but lack action, mostly for fear of failure. Others are too proud and go straight to action despite having little or no mastery.

But when you combine information with consistency and efficient actions, there is nothing that cannot be achieved. It is extremely challenging to onvince others to learn and research and improve themselves little by little. But once you show someone that access to information can drastically change their life, knowledge becomes an addiction that can’t be extinguished. It’s wonderful to see others who used to make a thousand excuses to learn, reading and researching, happy to change their future with the power of information.

Nurture, grow and share

Yes, as living beings, our life is quite cyclical. And personal growth begins by recognizing ourselves as a simple seed that is still nothing, but has an endless potential to become whatever you desire. We feed ourselves with information, allowing our mind to nourish itself and absorb all that it needs.

And another essential component of growing is sharing. Giving a tiny bit of what makes us greater, of the fruits of the time and effort we invested, to those who also want a little bit. The feeling of being able to provide someone with some useful information is wonderful.

Encourage your innate desire to learn

Human beings are curious by nature. As babies, we freely explore our surroundings, taking everything in our hands, putting it in our mouths, in an effort to understand it a little more each morning as we crawl around the house. That thirst to better comprehend our world, to go beyond, has allowed our species to boast amazing achievements such as traveling into space, walking on the moon, creating and exploiting the limitless world of the internet, and much more.  

Life is a laboratory and every minute is an opportunity to investigate, question, test, try, fail and keep trying until we learn. And we do this not only in our area of interest or expertise, or when we are conscious of this purpose. In everyday situations while in the kitchen, at home, playing a video game, or dealing with our interpersonal relationships, we must face circumstances that make us think. And our actions and their consequences build in us a precedent, a new knowledge.

Dare to live, dare to read, dare to try, no matter how crazy or incoherent it may seem. Trying is the only way you have to know if you were right or wrong, to find and work on your failures until you succeed. And in the end, be sure to repeat and share your experience.

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