Let’s now take up the area of knowledge.
Definition
First, let us define knowledge. What is it, really? In this internet age, there is an overwhelming amount of information floating around. Unfortunately, there is much more opinion than there is a fact.
If you look up the word “knowledge” in the dictionary, you’ll find a definition like this one: “Acquaintance with fact, truth, or principles, as from study or investigation.” (Random House Unabridged Dictionary).
Separating Fact from Opinion
Given that we obtain much of our information today from opinion, it truly benefits everyone to really examine the information they get. It is very easy for someone to decide something is factual or true (referring back to the definition above) because it agrees with their own opinions. Just look at the number of opinions passed on as facts every day on social media platforms.
But the only way to know if something is true or not is to examine it and verify it as fact. Do your own investigation. The real benefit of the internet is that you can actually discover, with enough investigation, if something is true or not. It does require a little effort, but if you really want to obtain knowledge—REAL knowledge as defined above—that bit of effort is well worthwhile.
Your Own Experience
You may have had an experience in your life in which you were given an opinion as fact, and later discovered it was not true. Perhaps it was gossip passed along about a person you knew that you discovered to be completely false when you investigated it. Maybe it was an event that occurred which, when you investigated, turned out to be totally different than an account or accounts you had heard of it.
Or maybe you had heard that a particular group or organization was harmful, and it turned out, when you really looked into it, that the group was actually beneficial.
Getting Real
Part of your New Year’s resolution should be to accumulate real facts. They lead to true understanding, which is the foundation for actual knowledge. In business, just like everywhere else, real knowledge is vital.
Happiness is directly tied to actual knowledge. Knowledge also has a direct impact on the other two points of happiness we are taking up this month—communication and production. Make sure you have verified your knowledge as real, observable facts
