Success Is 20% Head Knowledge And 80% Behavior

Dave Ramsey, one of the foremost experts in personal finance, has helped millions of people establish a strong financial foundation. He’s been able to make that kind of impact because he knows what it takes to actually get results. He says that in personal finance, “Success is 20% head knowledge and 80% behavior.”

Let me translate that more directly. Ramsey suggests that if you want to get out of debt, 20% is knowing what to do and 80% is doing it. If you want to save up for a home, 20% is knowing what investment strategies to use and 80% is sticking with it. If you want to decrease your monthly expenses, 20% is knowing the right tools and having a plan to limit your spending, and 80% is following through on that plan.

In all of these cases, the answer is to be more disciplined, to faithfully follow through on doing the thing that most serves you and your goals. It’s those who are able to control their behavior that change their lives in the ways they desire.

If I were to put this in my own words: When someone has the intention to improve their life, 20% is knowing what to do and 80% is actually doing it.

We know that we need to exercise more and eat more mindfully if we want to lose weight. We know that we need to generate more leads and have more sales opportunities if we want to grow our business. We know that we need to put work away at the end of the day and be present with our loved ones if we want to cultivate deep and meaningful relationships.

Success is only 20% head knowledge because we already know what we should be doing. The problem is that we aren’t actually doing it consistently enough for it to work for us. In other words, we lack the self-discipline. That’s the 80%.

So rather than waiting for that next ‘golden nugget’ of information to change your life, focus on changing your behavior.

How?

Build the systems of execution that support you in being consistent. Structure your environment so that your desired behavior becomes the default behavior. Get clarity on exactly what you’re going to do and when so that you can’t talk yourself out of it. Be organized and intentional about how you show up to everything that’s on your plate. Get accountability in place that will hold you to it.

And if you need support with that, it’s exactly why I created the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge. Give it a look if you’re ready to start living with the consistency and focus that you know you’re capable of!

Why? Because “Success is 20% head knowledge and 80% behavior.”