Monthly Archives: August 2020

“There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance” – Buddha

According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, “knowledge is the information, understanding, and skills that you gain through education or experience.” It is also the awareness of one’s ignorance or weakness concerning one’s experience. When people are ignorant, their capacity for success is weak. Knowledge can be gained through learning, striving, seeking, and constant practice, failing, etc. Overcoming ignorance comes at a cost. It could be your time, money, pride, etc. There are many benefits, but we have listed a few below.

ENABLES PROBLEM SOLVING

Every problem in life calls for a solution. However, solutions are provided by those who know only. Problems are inevitable in life, and you should train yourself to be a problem solver by getting knowledge. When you do that, you become relevant in your society. For example, doctors cure illnesses by providing medications to patients, but they cannot do this if they are ignorant.

BUILDS CONFIDENCE

When you are knowledgeable, your level of confidence increases. Without confidence, you will be unable to provide solutions to problems. Knowledge helps you believe in yourself. When you face a problem, your level of confidence in approaching it will depend on what you know about the subject. People who know are usually not scared. They might even be happy when problems arise because it is an opportunity for them to shine. Think about how stars shine in the night while we struggle to see.

BREEDS SUCCESS

Knowledge serves as a bridge or key to success. The success of men is determined by what they know. The success of a student is determined by what you know of the subject in question. Let’s face it; we cannot prove that we understand an issue if we fail continuously. The fact that you are failing is an indication that there is still something you don’t know. Once you overcome that ignorance, success is born.

In conclusion, just like Barbara Sher said, “the cure of sorrow is to learn something”, we should learn to overcome our sorrows. We should also be willing to upgrade ourselves in areas where we think we know. Let us not fear failing in our quest for knowledge.

Please post your comments and contributions in the comments section below, and let’s continue to encourage ourselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Omole Richard & Beatrice Aiyedusho are secondary school students in SS2 and are members of B2SL Success Hub. They believe that a prosperous Nigeria is possible if they are successful themselves. You can reach them on this email- info@b2sl.org[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

“Knowledge like air is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it”. Alan Moore

Knowledge is one of the few things that are of great value in life. There is nothing to lose for always wanting to know better. The price you are willing to pay for a thing or service is equivalent to the value you place on it. For example, if you had to choose between buying a book or a dress, your choice will depend on the worth you place on either the book or the dress.

Everything valuable comes with a price, and Knowledge is not an exemption. Knowledge is very invaluable to our lives and ultimate worth. If you want to remain relevant, you have to continue striving to know. However, becoming valuable comes with a price. You become more expensive by becoming more knowledgeable or growing less useful by becoming less knowledgeable or refusing to upgrade what you know already. Here are some things that you can exchange for Knowledge. 

1. EFFORT

You must be ready to put in some effort. A student who wants to have Knowledge in Mathematics or any other subject must understand that people do not become knowledgeable by merely desiring it. They need to devote energy in the area of asking questions, solving exercises, reading, talking to people, digging deeper, mastering the art of observation, and focusing all attention on details of what they want to know.

2. TIME

All successful people know that time is more important than money. Time is priceless. If you desire Knowledge, you must be ready to give your time in exchange. It could be your TV time, or outing time, or time on the internet. Time is the one thing you cannot gain anymore in your life, so; every little piece of Knowledge will cost you a portion of your time. Learn to make every second count, mind how and what you engage in with your time.

3. SLEEP

You need to get adequate sleep to be healthy and agile. However, do not love sleep too much. When we were in Secondary school, someone posted a quote that made us think. “If you sleep for eight hours every day, by the time you are 75, you would have been sleeping for 25 years of your life”. We felt that was a bit harsh, but it was another way of saying, do not spend the whole of your life sleeping! Successful people who are products of Knowledge do not sleep too much. They lose their sleep in the process of getting Knowledge. While I am not prescribing any particular number of hours to sleep in a day, as I am not an expert, I am saying, losing some of your Sleep for Knowledge is not a bad idea.

Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to learn. Invest some effort, time, and sleep and see how much you can learn.

I love to hear from you. Please drop your comments and feedback in the comments section below. You can reach out to our team at info@b2sl.org if you require any assistance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alero Babine is a writer, professional photographer and is the Secretary at B2SL, where she works to empower teenagers to succeed.

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1597607280030{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius

In my first year at the university, one of my lecturers encouraged us to “forget everything that we already know.” I felt that was too rude. My primary and secondary school years combined were 12 years. How on earth could he dare say that? It was not until I started learning exciting things that I realized how much I did not know! I guess what my lecturer was trying to say to us was that there would always be something that we do not know, and we should take note.

The importance of knowledge to success cannot be overemphasized, especially in the information age that we are in now. Check to see people who succeed in life; they all know more than others that distinguish them in their field. You usually pay for what you don’t know in life. For example, you pay school fees because you want to learn from teachers who understand, you pay the doctor because you want him to give you the cure for the illness that you don’t know its treatment, you pay tailors to help you make clothes that you cannot make by yourself. Below are some of the things you can do to increase your knowledge.

PURSUE KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge does not come to you; you have to go after it. Thanks to technology, you can now have people coming to teach you in the comfort of your home through your device. However, you must still be the one to apply and accept to be informed before this can happen. I have not seen anywhere people force you to guide you. When you have difficulty in life, such as difficulty with English Language or Mathematics, you go to a teacher who knows for enlightenment. You may be required to pay or not. But take note of the process, you have to go to the one who knows.

Make that move today. If you don’t know something- ask from those who know.

BE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE

Knowledge never comes free. It must cost you something. If not money, it will cost you time or your pride. Understanding must begin with a price because it is valuable, and no useful thing comes free! Luckily, the internet has helped to democratize knowledge so that both the rich and poor can access information from anywhere in the world. But you still have to pay for data to get on the internet. At this level, you are laying the foundation of your life, and what you know is going to determine how valuable you will become. If it means you are skipping a meal to buy data to learn, do it. If you need to stay up all night browsing with free data to learn, please do it, and you will not regret it.

BE AWARE OF YOUR IGNORANCE

There is a limit to what you know, and you must be aware of that. No matter how intelligent you are, you cannot know everything. Accepting that you don’t know something and willingness to learn is not a sign of weakness but an indication that you want to grow. My advice is to learn as many unusual things as possible from those who know better than you. One thing you should avoid is the trap of thinking that you know what you don’t. Ignorance limits you and makes you panic, but you must always accept what you don’t know and strive to understand.

I love to hear from you. Please drop your comments and feedback in the comments section below. You can reach out to our team at info@b2sl.org if you require any assistance.

About the Author

Bessy Ebule is the Project Director at B2SL, where he works to encourage personal development and build success networks. You can contact him at bessy.ebule@b2sl.org.

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“The cure for sorrow is to learn something“- Barbara Sher.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, knowledge is “the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association.” It is also the ability to collect, remember, and access information. Plato famously defined knowledge as justified true belief. Stop for a moment and think if you will be comfortable for a doctor who you don’t trust his knowledge of medicine to treat you! What you know certainly gives confidence!

Have you ever tried to solve a problem in Mathematics or any other subject but unable to? The problem was that you did not know! Knowledge destroys your frustration! What you don’t know is always a barrier to you. You were sent to school to acquire knowledge and experience on how to become/provide a solution to problems.

The Stone Age did not end because humanity ran out of stones, but because people became more knowledgeable due to new experiences. When you lack knowledge, life will be hard and frustrating. You need knowledge to survive.

Do you know who you are today and what you have now is equivalent to your knowledge depth? That means who you will become tomorrow is determined by what you are willing to know (learn) today. The process of acquiring knowledge is known as learning, and that is the business of every student. You learn both within and out of the four walls of a classroom.

As you continue to face your academic challenges and real-life situations, what guarantees your survival is the wealth of knowledge you have acquired on how you will move out of it, as a result of observations, contact with events and information (awareness).

Do you know that the grade you get from school is proof of your knowledge of the subject? That is because you were able to receive, store, recall information, and, most importantly, apply it when/where necessary to solve the examination problems set before you? Knowledge is both the ability to receive, retain, recall, and use information acquired over time to provide solutions to problems.

I encourage you always to embrace knowledge, and you will be a happier person.

I will be expecting your feedback or questions in the comments section.

About the Author

Henry Ibrahim Kwatadem is the Content Creator at B2SL. He loves working with young people to help them discover their purpose in life. You can reach him on ibrahim@b2sl.org.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]