Time And The Search For Knowledge

The search for knowledge and self-improvement drives many people in the path of personal growth. Knowledge and information are not the same although our educated minds have confused the two and made them one from the intellectual point of view.

Information is like any other item, it can be collected and accumulated. To do this, it takes time, effort and money and then a place to store all that is collected. Then it is useless and the effort in its accumulation wasted if it is not shown off. So not only is time spent in its accumulation but also in its presentation and sharing.

Knowledge, and the search for knowledge is often related to ones search for meaning and truth, what is life about and why are we here. That knowledge cannot be found in books or magazines, it can only be found by one developing oneself to a state when inner knowledge comes forth. That is not acquired with more and more information, it can only be directly experienced. And that experience takes preparation. Preparation takes time.

Our ego and personality and desire to improve ourselves is behind the perpetual acquisition of things, information being one of them. One thing is certain, with all the people out there, and all the time in the past spent creating and writing, there is no way that one person could absorb it all. That means that for one who wants to know everything that is going on in any particular field, or variety of fields their life will be spent accumulating information and there will be little or no time left to develop knowledge. This will lead to a life of being a walking encyclopaedia, which in the end of its days will be set aside for a new edition or used as a door stop or accumulate dust or sold for pennies at a garage sale. Of course there are those who have been born with a great mind and skill that no matter what they read or learn, they become a master of yet another art. Those are exceptions to the rule. Let's deal with the rule for now.

The human with information, even immense information will at the end of his days, be nothing more than a few cents of carbon and water, with enough iron to make a 2 inch nail, a corpse, an empty dead vessel. Not only that, but it will cost a great amount of money to dispose of this lump of decaying flesh. But knowledge will take the soul to consciousness beyond the end of the body and propel it, stay with it, and be useful.

It is a personal choice, what do you believe. Is life simply being born, living and dieing, with your achievements hopefully being great enough that your name continues and thereby you become immortal, even for a brief time. Or that you are perpetuated in your offspring generation after generation, until you are forgotten, or is there something that continues regardless of all that is material and human. Obviously, the only choice that is relevant to the point of this writing is the latter. The next question if that was your first answer is, what continues. Is it information, or is the information wiped out and what has been done with whatever it is that continues that counts. Knowing by reading books on how to fight, or fly an airplane is of no use unless you have the skill. Knowing from reading how to operate and remove a cancer without ever having trained by doing is not good enough to insure success. However, some experience, regardless of an immense amount of information will be more useful to keep one alive.

There is a story of two men on a ship. One was a scholar and the other a simple sailor. The whole journey the scholar was putting down the sailor because he did not devote his life to study and only spent his days on a boat. Then the boat hit something and was sinking. Sadly there where no lifeboats, as this was long before OSH. The sailor turned to the scholar and asked if he ever learned to swim. The scholar replied that he did not waste his precious time with such activities. Such a shame said the sailor, because your whole life is about to be wasted.

You will never acquire all the information, and whatever you do get will be outdated within a month because someone else has to come with some new invention to make their mark in the world. One day you may look at all you have learnt and believed to be the greatest discovery, only to find in a short time after that it was replaced by yet a further great discovery. But look into your mind, think of what you have trained it to be, and then decide what you will do today and the rest of your life. What is more important to have or be, thinking from the perspective of what you believe you really are.

Information is only valuable if you use it to improve yourself or the world around you.

Train your mind and be creative, be the innovator rather than the regurgitator.

David Samuel is The Entrepreneur Monk, a rag to riches story making his 1st million at 25 based on understanding the mind and emotions.
Your mind makes you a success or failure, business skill is only a small part.
Retiring at 29, he travelled for many years.
David resolved the riddle of why we do what is bad for us yet do not do what we know is beneficial and teaches that very effectively.
Read more about David EntrepreneurMonk.com
Have No Regrets, Look Forward

Ultimate Knowledge

Today we all are searching for the secret to a successful relationship. We watch television shows, some choose to go to counseling. Some talk with close friends, others seek other methods, however, the key to a relationship that will be long-lasting and successful would be to have ultimate knowledge of your mate.

That does not mean saying, "I know my mate." To possess knowledge of someone would mean understanding the inner person. Not only knowing the color of their eyes or how tall they are. This means knowing and understanding what hurts and or irritates and what you can do to repair the situation.

It certainly doesn't mean saying "You know I love you." This means showing you thought about and want to be considerate of them today. It's not drudgery; it's done because you genuinely want your mate to be happy. It means getting out of bed and knowing and paying attention to the very fact they had a bad day the day before and then before they could utter a word you were thoughtful enough to make this new day better.

It means knowing you hurt them and never waiting for days to go by before understanding what will need to be done to fix it. It means not being deliberately difficult or contrary simply because you are able to. It means understanding and considering your mate.

Ultimate knowledge is caring to learn and to fully understand the deeper intricate emotions; likes and dislikes of your mate. Ultimate knowledge is being comfortable with letting go of that childish pride because you realize that will make your mate happy and pleased. Ultimate knowledge is not being afraid to express to your mate, "I don't understand," then asking your mate to explain their feeling again and listen until it's clear.

Ultimate knowledge shows a relationship you care and therefore are deeply concerned with making it about only the two of you. Ultimate knowledge shows your mate as well as your relationship, "I am in it for the long haul."

Relationships will never be successful with surface understanding; you must have ultimate knowledge of your mate, putting aside all reluctant and hesitant notions to take that extra step for the one you love. Nothing should come in between that. Remember if you take the time to get an ultimate knowledge of anything that means you desire to want to have a full understanding of it.

Getting an ultimate knowledge of your mate means you have put your heart and mind totally into this person. You cared enough to not simply think of your own self but the inner make-up of another person. This also makes you a special person. Most people think of me first, however, ultimate knowledge means you are taking the time to learn and understand someone other than you. This is not a surface understanding it is the inner person understanding. Ultimate knowledge is the deepest understanding of your mate that anyone has tried to achieve. Make a change from surface understanding and take the more difficult road to ultimate knowledge. This will make for a successful and loving relationship.

Veronica Allen-Anderson, born in Fort Greene, Brooklyn New York. I began writing poetry when I was 13 years of age and spent 25 plus years of exploration and putting to words my observations and passion for understanding people's most intimate emotions. I always try to bring clarity to what is often a complicated landscape involving the heart and the mind. We have a world of people out there hurting and confused. I am an Author and in my dozens of written articles I demystify the tough issues facing people in relationships and offer workable solutions. I help people just like you with relationship questions and issues. I hope my suggestions work for you!

Networking Tips - Share Knowledge

Successful networkers are constantly giving out ideas, resources and knowledge with others. They are aware that this type of exchange creates an environment for healthy social and business interactions. It can make individuals more comfortable offering leads or referrals. It can produce an increase in sales for business and opportunities with new or existing customers. Sharing knowledge can also establish common ground for developing long term relationships or ventures. It adds value and true meaning in networking.

Listed below are ways in which professionals, entrepreneurs and students can develop their networking through educational components.

Think Tanks

Join groups of like minded individuals on a weekly or monthly basis to brainstorm. Pick groups that are industry rather than interest based. Professionals should have similar backgrounds and experiences. The purpose of these sessions is to create ideas for better doing better business or sharing best practices. Learn from your business counterparts can be extremely instrumental in your networking endeavors.

During these Think Tank sessions, choose one individual to be the moderator. Before the session, create an agenda, so that the meeting is productive. Select the right amount of time for participants to share and express their ideas and thoughts. Thinks Tanks are just as effective face to face, online or by phone conference. Consider recording the meeting or posting notes to reinforce the ideas and suggestions from that meeting.

Forums

Forums are another platform for sharing and connecting with others. Although, they are not as focused as Think Tanks, they do offer many benefits. Forums are less structured and can provide a wide variety of knowledge and ideas. They are not necessarily industry based and can focus on business or social interests. They can also involve a larger group of people for more diverse and unique solutions and feedback. It can also create many levels of communication and interaction from the comments and ideas shared.

The most efficient forums are usually online or via email. Select questions or comments which are relevant to your networking objectives. Read through advice and suggestions and offer your expertise as well. Feel free to offer constructive criticism in a professional and respectful manner. Encourage continuous dialogue and interactions once you have gauged the interest level of the topic matter. Contribute to several forums and use that chance to expand your network. Stay connected to individuals who share similar thoughts.

Using these tactics and methods for sharing knowledge can be extremely beneficial. It can offer a platform for developing your social and business endeavors with like minded individuals.

Chi Chi Okezie is owner/producer of SIMPLEnetworking, LLC in Atlanta, GA. Learn tips, tactics and techniques from this Champion Networker! Visit the SN Official Website: http://www.snseminars.com to read excerpts of her books, listen to the latest radio podcasts and visit her blog!

Going From Knowledge to Wisdom

What if I told you that A=100, B=5, and C=25? Could you tell me what D equals? Now what if I also told you that A-B+C=D? This makes it much easier, right? Why? The answer is because in the first scenario you have only information. The second scenario shows you the relationship between the information. This is a simple illustration of going from knowledge to understanding.

Now what if you had 100 apples and I said I would give you 25 of my apples for 5 of yours? Is that a good deal? The obvious answer is yes. How did you get to that? This is an example of wisdom. Wisdom is taking the knowledge you have, gaining an understanding of that knowledge, and then being able to use it to make real life decisions.

For a long time I struggled with the fact that many knowledgeable Christians were making such bad life decisions. Finally, God showed me that they had great knowledge but no real understanding of that knowledge. God explained it to me like this. Let's say your brain is a piece of notebook paper. As you gain knowledge it's like writing A=100, B=5, C=25, and so on. For many, their paper is filled with this type of information. However, as seen in the example above, this does no good without knowing how the information relates to each other.

We live in a world where information is available at our finger tips. Daniel prophesied this when he said "In the last days they will run to and fro, and knowledge will increase." In order to be wise Christians we need to take the time to understand all of the knowledge we are gaining. We need a God equation to show us how the information relates. I believe God has provided this equation in the form of the Old Testament Tabernacle.

I know that reading about this subject in the Bible can be boring, but in this information age of technology there are so many ways to learn. I encourage you to take the time to do so. The following will be a basic outline of the tabernacle and how to use it.

The Tabernacle

The Outer Court

- The Brazen Alter (Sacrifice)
- The Brazen Laver (Cleansing)

The Inner Court

- The Table of Shew Bread (the word of God)
- The Menorah (The Holy Spirit, understanding)
- The Altar of Incense (Prayer)

The Holy of Holies

- The Ark of the Covenant (God's Promises)
- The Mercy Seat (The rest of God)

Now, for a simple illustration on how to use this equation we will plug in some information about salvation.

The Outer Court= The Body (see, hear, touch, taste, smell)

- The Brazen Altar= sacrifice of Jesus on the cross
- The Brazen Laver= seeing your sins as dirt

The Inner Court= Soul (thought)

- The Table of Shew Bread= thinking on the information about salvation
- The Menorah= gaining the understanding that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross can wash away the dirt (sins) in your life.
- The Altar of Incense= the prayer of salvation

The Holy of Holies= Spirit

- The Ark of the Covenant= having faith in the promise of God for eternal security
- The Mercy Seat= Resting from trying to live life by your own power and giving God full control of it.

This is very basic and much more can be said about the subject, but I hope you see how the layout of the Tabernacle can be used to understand the knowledge of the salvation process. As seen in the layout, just like the presence of God was in the Holy of Holies, true salvation is more than just saying a prayer. You must go through the veil and surrender everything to God.

Some other examples of how to use the Tabernacle are:

The Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Revelation

Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God the Father

Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom

Natural, Physical, Spiritual

Water, Blood, Spirit

First Heaven, Second Heaven, Third Heaven

New Jerusalem, Israel, the Church

Body, Soul, Spirit

I am a Christian writer that has learned to put God first in everything with family coming in at a close second. God has given me a unique ability to see him in the things he has made (Romans 1:20). My goal is to share this information with as many people as I can. The name of my blog is Shinning God's Light because I believe that is the job of every Christian.

May God Bless You. If you enjoyed this article please go to my site, Shining God's Light, at http://www.josephclarkblog.com.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is a hot topic everywhere. Still it is a dilemma, especially when one wants to implement it in the organisation. It is because generally people take it as a single system that could be chipped into the organisation as a unit or division. Knowledge management is not a system that could be brought or established and implement in the organisation straight forward. It is a process that has to be integrated with each division or department of the organisation, and awareness that has to be raised in each member of that organisation. In short, KM needs to be embedded in everyday organisational processes for it to work efficiently and for it to be successful. It provides the processes and structures to create, capture, analyze, and act on information. And, the emphasis of Knowledge Management should be on human know-how and how to exploit it to bring maximum benefits for the organization. Here are few things that should be considered for implementing KM:

    prepare KM strategy
    implement knowledge sharing tools for both tacit and explicit knowledge
    document good practices and what did not work
    map all the existing knowledge in the organisation - tacit and explicit
    make knowledge sharing a policy of the organisation


KM is directly linked with people rather than technology. Technology is just a supportive tool for boosting KM. Effectiveness of the KM lies under the competence of the staff, institutional support and the motivations. And, KM is an ongoing process as Knowledge is constantly tested, updated, revised, and sometimes even obsolete.

The KM vision should be explained in organisational strategic terms rather than KM terms (examples are 'ICIMOD will explore upstream-downstream relationships and to validate the supply of ecosystem services, including freshwater and carbon sequestration, and to conserve and manage biodiversity as a natural heritage, a resource for livelihoods and for ecological resilience. ICIMOD aims to help mountain people facilitate the development of appropriate policies and innovative and equitable compensation mechanisms for ecosystem services', 'ICIMOD wants to develop regional capacity and reduce mountain poverty to ensure the increased economic resilience of mountain people. By exploring sustainable livelihood options and enhancing innovative rural income generation strategies. ICIMOD will generate, promote and customise knowledge on equitable socio-economic adaptation strategies and methods to allay the effects of socio-economic and environmental change. ICIMOD also aims to monitor and analyse the poverty situation and its main drivers, and to develop policy-relevant data'), and in a manner that generates enthusiasm, buy-in, and motivates managers to work together toward reaching common goals as it always adds value to the existing knowledge by pooling the expertise together, building the relationships and collaborating among the useful knowledge to achieve the goal of the organisation.

Then, the challenge is to sort out the information within the organization that are valuable for obtaining the goal or moving towards the objectives of the organisation. And, KM should also secure the learning experiences of the individuals as when a person leaves an organization, she/he takes lots of knowledge about her/his job with her/him which are always valuable processes and procedures of the organisation. With all these and many more functions, KM adds a great value to the organizational efficiency achieving or moving towards its goals by

    Facilitating better decisions and processes
    Contributing to the intellectual capital of the organization
    Eliminating redundant processes, streamlines operations, and enhances employee retention rates


Lastly, KM is done not only for capturing or storing the existing knowledge but should be tied up with the strategic objectives of the organisation and embedded in everyday life, and implement as a part policy of the organisation.