Issue 00015 - Knowing vs. Doing
Welcome to 5 Bites – The BLTnT Newsletter!
Intro
Disclaimer: I cannot stand when I ask someone, “How are you?” and they say, “Busy… I’m sooooo busy!”
We all are! So this is my disclaimer that I’m not saying I’m any busier than anyone else. And I’m not complaining—if anything, I’m catching myself and calling myself out.
So, here we go…
The last few weeks have been a blur—travel, back-to-back meetings, inbox overflow. I talk all the time about focus and follow-through, but lately? I’ve been busy being busy, not necessarily busy being effective.
And that’s the trap. When you know what to do but don’t do it, you can easily fool yourself into thinking motion equals progress.
I’m lucky, blessed in fact—I have an incredible team here at Auxiomwho keeps delivering even when I’m stretched thin. But boy am I always enamored with the solopreneurs and individual contributors out there—the ones who can’t fake it.
When they do, they feel it.
There’s no one to hand the ball to.
No one to pick up the slack.
They have to be doing, every single day.
So, here’s a round of applause for you people. 👏
This week’s about closing that gap—between knowing and doing, between being busy and being effective—because the best leaders don’t just move fast; they move on purpose.
So, let’s dig in…
Bite 1 – Knowledge Isn’t Power (Unless You Use It)
Zig Ziglar said,
“The only thing better than knowledge is the ability to apply it.”
That’s where the real power lives—not in what you know, but in what you practice.
Knowing fills your head.
Doing builds your life.
Busyness hides behind knowing. Effectiveness shows up through doing.
Going Biblical on some of these bites with some scriptural quotes…
📖 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22 (NIV)
Bite 2 – The Intention Gap
Patrick Lencioniwrote,
“Success is not about mastering subtle theory, but embracing common sense with uncommon discipline.”
Intentions are theory. Discipline is the bridge.
You can mean well and still not move the needle.
Busyness is comfort. Effectiveness is courage.
📖 “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” – Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)
Bite 3 – Start Before You’re Ready
Mel Robbinsreminds us,
“Start before you’re ready. Don’t prepare, begin.”
When everything feels urgent, perfection becomes procrastination dressed as productivity.
Start small. Answer one email. Make one call. Do one thing that actually matters.
You can’t steer a parked car—and you can’t confuse activity for traction.
📖 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” – Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
Bite 4 – Presence Over Perfection
Frances Frei in Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business, defines leadership (at its core) as:
“making other people better as a result of your presence—and ensuring the impact lasts in your absence.”
That’s hard when your calendar looks like “Tetris”, isn’t it?!
So, here’s what I hope: all the people I spent time with, while not answering emails and missing things on my to-do list, were moments that mattered. I hope I brought value in excess of my cost to those I was around these past few weeks (and always).
📖 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
So… maybe it was just my time to be investing in those people—not my time to do other things. Dunno? 🙂 Maybe I’m offering myself some grace…
Bite 5 – Grace + Grit
Ask for grace (aka help), give yourself grace (aka cut yourself some slack), but be gritty!
Anne Morriss and Frances Frei remind us in Unleashedthat asking for help and restarting aren’t signs of weakness —they’re how leaders reset momentum.
“We learned this lesson the hard way early in our careers, too often preferring to hide out and polish our own flawed logic rather than be vulnerable and ask for help.”
So if you’ve been sprinting but not advancing, consider asking for help – Pause. Reflect. Reset. Then move intentionally.
Grace gets you started again.
Gritkeeps you moving with purpose.
Notice…they did not say “give up” ??? 😉
📖 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Wrap-Up
I’m grateful for a team that keeps things moving even when I’m deep in the weeds. But watching solopreneurs grind—people who are the sales team, the service team, the marketing department, and the back office—reminds me that effectiveness is the ultimate truth serum.
You can’t fake doing.
And the funny thing? The balance of things is always in flux. Over the same stretch where I’ve been behind on writing and follow-ups, I’ve actually been much more dialed in on fitness and diet—feeling sharper and stronger than ever.
So, maybe that’s part of the lesson too: we’re rarely “off course” entirely. We just need to notice where we’re winning and let that energy pull the rest of us forward.
For me, writing Five Bites isn’t just about sharing lessons—it’s how I get myself back on track. This is a discipline for me…so thank you for being part of it!
So when I catch myself drifting?
I’m working on stopping.
Noticing.
And starting “doing” again.
(My normal M.O. is to beat myself up a bit in there too… just being honest. So, I’m going to work on stopping that.)
Because knowing is only halfthe story.
Doing is where the story gets good.
💬 I’d love to hear what you do when you’re feeling busy over effective… Let’s hear it.
Thank you to our sponsors
This edition is sponsored by Auxiom and Glenlore Trails
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