Digital courses are all the rage today. The idea of sitting back with a mai tai in Maui while the fat hundos roll in sounds mighty enticing, dontcha think?

But the reality is...well, there are two realities:

1. People are getting wise to the fact that more knowledge does not equal more success (if that were true, everyone with an iPhone would be sittin' pretty like a Kardashian).
2. Creating a successful course takes a CRAP ton of work beforehand...like building up an audience of people who a) know who you are, b) trust you, and c) think you're valuable enough to throw money at.

Here's the thing we know about what we don't know that we know: Knowledge is only 1% as valuable as applied knowledge.

What does that mean?

Applied knowledge is the right information at the right time. It's the nugget of wisdom you need right now to move yourself forward on the gameboard and tackle your biggest challenge.

The big problem? It's (usually) impossible to tell exactly what information you're missing that you need to know in order to apply it in the first place.

Get it?

Let me break that down for you again: We are all missing a piece of our success puzzle. But if we knew what it was, we'd just go out and get it, right?

But we don't know...that's the whole point. So you might just buy that course and learn something, but how do you know it's the right something that you need right now?

It's enough to make your head pop off like a bottle-rocket on the 4th of July, right?

If you ask me, which you didn't but you're reading so I'm going to tell you anyway, what people need is a thought-partner.

Not more knowledge. More thoughtfulness with an outside perspective.

Some of the most fulfilling work I do is as a "co-CEO" to my consulting clients. I get in the cockpit of the airplane with them and show them the map, help them figure out which toggles to switch, and which switches to toggle.

Most importantly, I show them where NOT to fly...because flying that way could end in a crash.

Eventually, the course craze will end.

Just kidding. People will always be looking for information because they think that's enough. [insert sad face]

But if you really want to make an impact, then be a thought-partner to your clients. And get one for yourself. It's super-duper important to your success.

And if you really, truly, deeply desire to make a course, then do it. But don't do it to sit on the beach in Maui...do it because creating a course gives YOU a deeper level of insights into your own information.

Just creating the course will help you objectively see what you know, what you don't know, and all the fundamentals that you do know but that you've conveniently forgotten.

That, alone, is worth a LOT to your journey.

And now, you know!