Stop Collecting Advice. Start Doing the Work.

/ Victor Ojei

There’s a strange habit lots of individuals have. They keep buying self-help books. They download courses. They save motivational videos. They follow productivity pages. Their phones are full of screenshots and “I’ll come back to this later” notes. All these, without actually doing the work.

Actually, when one really look at it, most persons don’t have an information problem. They have an action problem.

The truth is simple: you don’t need 100 self-help books. You need a decision. You need self-discipline. You need to do the things you already know you should be doing.

Why We Keep Consuming and Not Doing

It’s comfortable to read another book. It feels productive. You get a little dopamine hit because it creates the illusion of progress.

Action, on the other hand, is uncomfortable. It forces you to face your habits, your excuses, your distractions, and your fears. Action exposes whether you truly want the results you claim you want.

It’s easier to say “I need to learn more” than to admit “I’m avoiding the work.”

What Most Self-Help Books Say

When one strip away the stories, the examples, and the quotes, most self-help boils down to a few ideas:

  • Take responsibility for your life.
  • Set clear goals.
  • Break the goals into small steps.
  • Show up consistently.
  • Don’t quit when it gets hard.

One actually doesn’t need a library to understand these principles. What one needs, is the discipline to follow them.

The Missing Ingredient: Consistency

People think discipline is about strength. In reality, discipline is mostly about habits. It is choosing the uncomfortable thing today so the comfortable life becomes possible later.

Want to get fit? You don’t need 12 fitness books. You need a simple workout routine and the discipline to repeat it.

Want to grow a business? You don’t need every entrepreneurship bestseller. You need to make the calls, build the product, and stay in the game.

Want to improve your relationships? You don’t need a communication masterclass. You need to practice listening, empathy, and honesty.

The gap between knowing and doing is where most dreams die.

How to Move From Learning to Action

Here’s a simple way to break the cycle:

  • Pick one goal: Not ten. One. Clarify it. Write it down.
  • Pick three daily actions: Small ones. Not heroic ones. Something you can sustain.
  • Build a simple routine: A morning routine. An evening routine. Something that supports your goal.
  • Track your progress: Not for motivation. For honesty.
  • Revisit your results every week: Adjust only if needed. Don’t redesign your whole life every two days.

The Quiet Power of Self-Discipline

Self-discipline isn’t loud. It doesn’t give you the rush that inspiration gives. It doesn’t trend on social media. But it creates something far more valuable: results.

You will always feel more confident after doing the work than after reading about someone else doing the work.

The Point I’m Trying to Convey is

Self-help books are not bad. Many are wise and helpful. But they are tools, not solutions. They can guide you, but they cannot walk for you.

Your life changes the moment you stop preparing to start and actually start. See the difference? According to James 2:26 (KJV) “Faith without works is dead.” So therefore, in addition; “knowledge without action, is useless.”

If you want transformation, stop looking for the next book and start building the habits that lead to the future you want.

Knowledge fills you. Action changes you. Self-discipline sustains you.

©️Victor E. Ojei, 2025.

22 thoughts on “Stop Collecting Advice. Start Doing the Work.”

  3. The central issue is lack of a defined vision. When you don’t know where you want to go, you tend to look for guidance. People fear this lack of certainty in their life, and find themselves paralyzed by options. From there, they think “might as well build the basics” and go to self help books.

    As self help books really only help when there is something we’re doing, the searching mind feels stumped and moves to the next.

    This tendency flows to all aspects of life. Your point is well-taken here, yet it doesn’t help the central question of what does one want to do.

    Self-discipline is crucial. If you don’t work toward what you want, you will struggle to get there.

    However, more important still is to take time to think where you want to go. You cant figure it all out at once, but it’s hard to start painting when you don’t know whether you’re going for a landscape or portrait.

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    • You have spoken well. Indeed this is a huge factor; finding purpose. However, it is the easiest, and yet the most important.
      The truth is self help books are important, because it provides information, just as I have done. However, I can only guide you. The work you will need to do yourself.
      Now, one finding their true purpose purely depends on their personal relationship with God. The true difficulty lies in the path to fulfillment.
      So while advice and self-help books may help, it will all lead to nothing if one never actually takes action. One is allowed to make mistakes, no one is perfect; but if your heart is in the right place, you will surely learn along the way.

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      • You are right; it is the easiest. Despite the easiness of the task, it is often neglected under the assumption that purpose will come naturally.

        As you again mention, purpose is the single most important thing we can seek. While it is not difficult in terms of accomplishing a feat, it does require continued effort so that we may refine our vision of purpose.

        Great post, and I wish you all the best.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you Paul.
      Getting books isn’t really the problem. Being able to read someone else’s thoughts and experiences; learning without actually going through their mistakes yourself, is an advantage. But, while you’re learning, you should also put in the work.
      Knowledge doesn’t automatically manifest into results, actions do.

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  8. Hi Victor
    Is this now another advice?
    Well, we all know this, but we don’t follow it. We agree, you are absolutely right. It’s all about how to turn insight into action. To overcome a certain kind of laziness.
    I work with a personal trainer. His magic is clever motivation. I suppose everyone needs a personal trainer or a mentor.
    Kb

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hello
      Yes, this is another advice. So will you improve on it in actions, rather simply adding to your “I will get back to” list?
      I guess your personal trainer is doing a fantastic job with you already.
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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