THIS IS WHY I STOPPED READING BOOKS

A few months before I entered the University, I had an experience that just turned my life 360°.
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I had encountered the very essence of life and I was willing to know more.
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I spent every single dime that entered my hands on books!
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I humorously tell people . . . ‘If I had started a small business in Onitsha with the amount of money I spent on books, I would have been one of the biggest businessmen in the East’.
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By the time I was rounding up my fifth year on campus, I had read over 200 books in the space of 5years.

Quite applaudable yeah??? . . . Sure it is!
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However, I came to a point in my life where I hit rock bottom.

I met situations that I believe that anyone who is serious with his or her life will always come to . . .
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That point where the situation on ground doesn’t in any way match the knowledge resource center in-between your ears!
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Mind you, I had achieved very remarkable things already.
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I was hosted on radio stations to talk on youth programs, organized countless great seminars/programs.

I was invited to two tv programs (although I never made it for any because of logistic reasons).
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My write-ups were viral. The story of my expurlsion from school was on blogs, websites and newspaper.
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I had invitations to speak in several youth circles. I led a team that was running secondary school outreaches and we visited about 45 different schools (over 55 visitations) in 3years.
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So, I dare to say . . . I had done quite well but then the stagnancy I experienced didn’t suit my ‘knowledge base’.

In summary . . . I WAS GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE BUT STAGNANT IN REALITY
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I was still reading and buying more books!

Knowledge . . . Knowledge . . . Knowledge . . . Oooh how I craved knowledge!

BUT MY LIFE WAS IN ONE PLACE!!!

Hahaha . . . I know someone is now saying ‘village people’
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Hmmmmm!

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Let me teach you something that I learnt in this my period of stagnancy . . .
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THE REASON MANY FAIL IS NOT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT PREPARE IN LIFE . . . BUT THEY ARE PREPARING AT THE WRONG TIME!

👆Let that sink in real good!

There is a time to PREPARE and there is a time ACT!
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Knowledge can be very addictive . . . you can become so addicted to gaining knowledge so much that you forget that while you are busy getting new knowledge, you are stealing precious time required to BE ACTING on the old ones you already gained!
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IT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE TO OUTGROW YOUR ACTIONS!
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As one of my great passive mentors, John Obidi, pointed out in a very recent post on his social space, and I quote . . .

“THE REASON SOME PEOPLE DON’T BLOW IS BECAUSE THEY’RE ALWAYS HOLDING THE GUN AND AIMING . . . ADJUSTING THE TARGET
. . ADJUSTING THE TRIGGER . . . CHANGING THE BULLETS . .
CHANGING THE BARREL . . . AIMING AGAIN . . . BUT THEY NEVER TAKE THE SHOTS!
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Does that sound like you???
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You have read so many books, we know!
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You have attended plenty meetings and seminars, we know!
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Plenty men of God have laid hands on your head, we know!
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The question remains . . . THE THINGS YOU KNOW ALREADY . . . HAVE YOU STARTED WORKING ON THOSE ONES NOW???
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One of my online forex coaches ‘Rayner Teo’ will always say something to this effect, ‘WHEN YOU START LOSING MONEY, YOU DON’T NEED MORE KNOWLEDGE . . . YOU NEED TO START TAKING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW MORE SERIOUS AND START ACTING ON THEM’.
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In my own case, I made up my mind that I was going to stop buying books or reading any more.

I made up my mind to act on the things I already knew . . . THAT WAS IT!
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I found out that I KNEW MORE THAN I WAS WORKING ON THE THINGS I KNEW!

In summary: I HAD KNOWLEDGE but NO ACTION . . . that’s a terrible combination!

Are you like me???

IT IS TIME TO STOP TRYING TO GET NEW KNOWLEDGE, NEW REVELATION, NEW MESSAGE . . . Act on the ones you have been getting since.
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Before you rush to buy that new book, ask yourself . . . HAVE I APPLIED WHAT I LEARNT FROM THE LAST ONE?

I hope I’m making sense?

P.S: GOODNEWS! I have resumed reading now anyway. But I do advice you take a break if you find yourself in a situation like mine in the story above.

✍🏻 Chiazokam Obinwa