The Adventure Knowing – Doing Gap: Destroy It!

I love to adventure. I crave it. I can become pretty miserable if I go a month without it. I have long lists of adventures I hope to accomplish, hell they are even categorized. Why do I have all these adventure ideas and yet I’m not getting to them? Pfeffer & Sutton have a pretty good theory on what causes my knowing-doing gap and I think they are pretty much right on target. Here they are:

1. 1. I talk too much – While I consider myself an action oriented guy, I also like to plan out ideas and projects. Once I have an idea, I elevator pitch friends and family, ideas morph and solidify into theories. Talking in itself is not bad, its good. This comes from being in a comfort zone. Comfort zones are no good for adventure.
2. I have fear – Now, I don’t have much of this fear stuff. However, I ran into a bunch of poison oak a month back and now I fear poison oak a little. Here is my Beat Fear post.
3. Doing = Making Mistakes – My boys and I have spent the last two years trying to figure out how to catch fish. I can tell you a lot of ways not to catch fish. However, this year I can tell you how and where to catch some trout, perch, and large mouth bass. All those mistakes brought about a respect and love for fishing which you can’t get at a fish farm pond.
4. I’m too competitive – Yes, I just said that and I live in America. I love being the expert, the go to guy. Hell, I’m just going to assume we all do. Luckily, here at Man Makes Fire we embrace being and including rookies. The issue with being too competitive is that it keeps you from trying new things because you don’t want to lose. I would rather play and lose than not play at all.

So I have the knowing part down. Here is how I’m closing the gap to doing:

1. Talk Too Much – change to – Challenge Myself
2. I Have Fear – change to – Do, Do, Do (see Beat Fear)
3. I Make Mistakes – change to – Learn Every Day
4. I’m too Competitive – change to – Compete For Fun

This knowing-doing gap is everywhere. Look at yourself, your family, your company, your abs, your garage; you name it. The great thing about this is you already know, now you just have to do and doing is the most fun.