Through archeological findings of caveman drawings to Egyptian hieroglyphs, scientists realized that all humans shared one thing in common: They understood that knowledge was the key to ensuring their survival and prosperity.
Fast forward thousands of years…
During the 18th century, the only knowledge available to common folk was standardized through the public school system. The rich and affluent paid membership fees to private libraries where they gained access to a wide variety of books from world renowned: scholars, scientists and philosophers, thereby acquiring superior knowledge and an edge over the rest of the population.
Then On April 30, 1993, the World Wide Web launched into the public domain. The web equalized the playing field and made it possible for almost anyone to navigate the internet and gain free, unlimited access to universal knowledge.
Over the next 30 years, the amount of knowledge that had been uploaded to the internet has provided more opportunity for learning, self-improvement, and the attainment of success then during the entire evolution of humanity combined.
Yet despite all this abundant, easily accessible sea of knowledge, the majority of people still don’t pursue learning past their high school education and never even come close to achieving their full potential.
Let’s take a look at the following knowledge matrix:

1. The quadrant at the top left is: Things you know that you know. For example: 1+1=2.
2. The quadrant at the top right is: Things you know that you don’t know. For example: you know that since you didn’t study physics, you don’t know physics.
3. The quadrant at the bottom left is: Things you don’t know that you know. For example: did you ever have a conversation with someone and said something you didn’t even realize you knew and wondered: how did I know that?
4. The quadrant at the bottom right is: Things that you don’t know that you don’t know. For example: you learn something that blows your mind, and you realize that up until you learned it, you were not even aware that you didn’t know about it.
While the first 2 quadrants are obvious to most, it's the 3rd quadrant that makes me realize how powerful our subconscious mind is and how much knowledge it stores that A) We are not even aware we posses and B) We don't even know how to access it.
The 4th quadrant always makes me ask myself; what don't I know that I don't know?
Simply put, if there is a subject that you are passionate about, no matter what it is, always assume that you don't know everything there is to know about it. Therefore, you should read and/or listen to as many books on the topic as possible and talk to qualified experts to increase your knowledge base. While you can never know everything there is to know about any given subject, you can significantly decrease your knowledge gap. The more you'll learn, the more your self confidence will grow, and through perseverance you will eventually become an expert on the subject and opportunities will start presenting themselves to you.
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