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   SaraG
   October 7th, 2008 - 22:34

   This is a great post. Most people probably do consider knowledge to be synonymous with wisdom, and I think you’ve really highlighted the contrasts between the two. I think another good example of words that are used interchangeably when they probably shouldn’t be, are ‘simple’ and ‘easy’. Take higher education. In order to earn high marks in a class, one must simply put forth the effort to learn the material. Is it really that simple? Sure. But is it easy? For a select few, maybe. But the rest of us have to work to find the time, motivation, and discipline that we need in order to help us put forth that effort. It’s not easy. In fact, sometimes entire classes are taught solely about how to be an effective student. A lot of people have to work very hard for something so simple. And the mindset that easy and simple are the same thing can be a barrier to achievement. This is can happen in education, or in the workplace, or virtually anywhere else in life. If we get discouraged over having to struggle for something simple because we think it should be easy, it can cause us to lose faith in ourselves. But if we keep in mind that just because something is simple, it does not in any way mean that it will also be easy; if we give ourselves permission to struggle over simple tasks sometimes, we can reduce our frustration and ultimately increase our odds of success.

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