Why Action Makes You Smarter
The following chapter is from Street Smarts: 101 Short Stories, Essays, and Insights to Improve Communication Skills
One of the biggest complaints about Toastmasters is what I like the most about it.
‘What’s that?’
How they never really teach you public speaking.
When first joining the club, I thought I was going to sit in a lecture hall where I was going to learn how to build a speech.
Nope.
I was thrown straight into the fire.
Sure, there were resources to help me understand the mechanisms of a speech.
But during the club meeting?
It was all about doing.
This was a phenomenal strategy because it short-circuited the overthinking process and sparked action.
If there was a big lecture and tests to determine whether I understood public speaking or not…
Then there would have been a sense of false pride.
I got an A on the test & now I think I can give a speech!
Incorrect.
The beauty about doing is that you can always learn the theory after.
When you have personalized experiences to attach the theory to, that’s when learning becomes fun.
The way we traditionally learn is the exact opposite way.
Formal education teaches the theory first & at times, gives some action.
Still, that action (real-world experience) is not always guaranteed.
If you trace back to any major innovation, the reverse has always held true.
People didn’t first dissect the science of fire & then create fire.
Instead, fire happened, and they did their best to engineer it later.
The reason action leads to making you smarter is because it installs the right habits and helps you ask questions to problems you never knew you were supposed to have.
For my 3rd speech in Toastmasters, I noticed I was out of breath 3 minutes in.
‘Why?’
Because my collar was too tight.
Wear a shirt that fits, not rocket science.
But until I encountered that problem, I had no clue that I was going to expect that problem.
I doubt any theory would specifically talk about that problem in a way where it resonated with me.
It required me to face the problem on stage in front of a live audience to acknowledge this lesson.
When data has been accumulated, you get the most out of information.
This mindset alone will cure a lot of procrastination.
Procrastination is when we over-consume the theory which has us constantly consuming more.
Pull the trigger fast.
The theory is not going anywhere.
But your time is.
15 minutes of doing + 50 minutes of learning theory > 15 minutes of doing > 50 minutes of learning theory.
Works like this for any field.
Become smarter by taking action.
Lead with the heart first & back it up with the intellect second.
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