Now I guess someone is about to slit my throat fort his statement. It sounds as awkward as Jesus saying to the Pharisees that He is the son God, right?
If you are not familiar with this quote, then we need to ask like they ask first timers in my church: “where have you been?”, because this quote has been on the scene of motivational talks and inspirational messages for decades:
READERS ARE LEADERS
But let take some audit; is it really true? Are readers truly leaders?
I am going to start with a confession; I really don’t read. Yes you read that right; I have hardly finished a book cover to cover. Now that’s very bad and please note that I am not writing this note to justify my weaknesses.
I have met a lot of people who have read all the books of and about great achievers you can think of in business and ministry; books by the likes of Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Richard Branson, Bill Gate and so on. They have read it cover to cover infact for some, more than once. The shock is that nothing seem to change in their lives, if any, then it’s a negative change; things seems to get worse than better.
That brings me to the question: ARE READERS TRULY LEADERS? IF NO WHO THEN ARE LEADERS?
Here’s who they are;
DOERS!
Yes that’s the word: DOERS.
When Moses’ successor Joshua was to take over the leadership of Israel, Joshua 1:8 says that he should meditate (not read) the book of law, that he may observe to DO what is written therein, then his way will be prosperous. This looks to me like God was running an induction course for Joshua and He told him that the secret to His success is to DO (not to read) all that is written in the book of the law.
James 1:22 tells us to be doers and not just hearers of the word. He also goes on to imply that otherwise we are living in deception. This explains to me the deception of a lot of people who think that just by reading they will be on top. That’s a fantasy that will only happen to Alice in the Wonderland. Leaders are not known by what they read or read. They are known by what they do or did. The fact that you have read all the books that exist on earth on business does not automatically make you a business mogul. For your information you are still a business rookie. Have you ever seen a footballer who became a great footballer by watching matches? He will still play like an amateur on his first day on the field.
The amount of information you have is of no use. It is the percentage of that information that you can turn into knowledge and put into profitable action that counts.
Does that mean you should not read? NO.
Because you can’t do what you don’t know. No one can do more than he knows just like no one wants to do less than he knows. Information comes from reading (or listening as the case may be), Knowledge comes from meditating (studying) what has been read, then Action is only an end result because knowledge is power. Whatever you know and can’t do, you don’t know.
Information overload is also the result of reading without doing. Information overload describes a situation where you have so much information stacked up in your brain and so little of it transformed into action. So there is no space take in more and when you even try to take in more, the new information begins to confuse the old one, because they were not meant to meet each other in the brain. The old one should have been burnt up in action
I will rather have read few books but have put into action all that is there in, than read a shelf of books and practice so little.
Here’s the conclusion of the matter: Study to show thy self approved. Then observe to do all that you have studied.
DOERS, NOT READERS ARE LEADERS.
Bodurin Oludare
No comments:
Post a Comment