During a recent visit to a bookstore I was fascinated at the number of titles in the “weight loss” section.

It seems that every day a new celebrity publishes a weight loss book that hits the shelves promising to turn each of us into lithe, svelte beings and to rid the world of its growing obesity problem

I asked the store manager why they devote so much shelf space to these books and her answer was simple – and obvious. “Because they sell so well.”

Not for a moment do I doubt that each of these books contain valuable and enlightening information and, in the event the reader chooses to follow the recommended program they will indeed lose whatever amount of weight they wish.

Nor do I doubt that the majority of those who purchase these books do so with the intention of following the principles outlined to the letter and emerging slimmer, trimmer and healthier.

And staying that way for a long, long time.

But do they?

My guess is they don’t.

And the same is true for those countless books lining bookstore shelves telling us how to be healthier, smarter, richer and, in general, realize every dream we have ever had.

So why is it that with the vast amount of information available to all, that so many of us still smoke, drink too much, struggle with our weight and have a trail of unrealized dreams in our wake?

For years we have been told that Knowledge is Power and the more knowledge we acquire the more powerful we will become.

And it seems that this is just plain wrong.

I believe that knowledge is vital, essential and that the pursuit of knowledge for our own betterment should be our highest calling.

But knowledge unused is like a tool hiding forever in a drawer – it produces nothing.

My guess is that the vast majority of folks buying those weight-loss books already know all they need to know to lose however much weight they wish.

And the people buying all those other “how-to” books already know all, or most of what they need to know in order to get what they want.

We don’t need to know more to do more; we need to do more with what we already know.

We don’t need a book to tell us how to lose weight – we know what to do and we just don’t do it.

We don’t need a book to tell us how to get in better shape – we know what to do and we just don’t do it.

And we don’t have to learn more to achieve most of the goals we have – we know what to do and we just don’t do it.

I am not anti-book. I am a voracious reader and intend to fund my eventual retirement from the proceeds realized at the used book sale I will hold for the books I have spent a lifetime acquiring.

There’s not a day in my life where I do not spend time reading but I realized many years ago that results come not from knowledge but from action.

It’s not what we know that gets results, it’s what we do with what we know that gets results.

And it is my fervent belief that the vast majority of us already possess all of the knowledge necessary to achieve greatness.

We just don’t, or wont, do what we know needs to be done to get there.

It’s really quite simple; if we want better we must do better.

Surely you won’t argue with that, will you?

Till we read again.

P.S. My book Life Sinks or Soars – the Choice is Yours now has its very own website. Please visit us at  www.lifesinksorsoars.com  and let me know what you think.

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