Professional Information Gatherers are the result of the freely-available-information economy we now live in. So much access has led many people to grow stupid.

[shareable cite="@DreAllDay"]So much access has led many people to grow stupid. [/shareable]

99% of the information I share happens via request. Someone comes to me, presents their challenge, and asks for possible solutions. I am happy to help, and offer as much information as I can.

I appreciate hearing the success stories of this who take action with what I share. They number in the thousands. Most of the information and advice I share, however, goes unheeded.

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If 1,000 people read my post or listen to my podcast episode, maybe 40-50 people take action on what they learned. That number is generous.

The rest? They enjoy and appreciate the content. They buy books and sign up for courses, and even leave positive ratings. Then they just keep gathering information, like the professionals they are.

Are you a PIG? Take a look at their traits to find out.

PIGs ask for information and never use it. Asking someone for information which you don't use is a severe waste of time for both parties. Which is why I've created so many "answers" in the form of evergreen content. It saves me time in answering each query.
The more information a PIG acquires, the more questions the PIG has. Professional Information Gatherers are not leaders. I know this, because leadership requires decisiveness, and PIGs are by nature indecisive. You can see it: the more information you give a PIG, the more questions the PIG comes up with. This self-created "lack" of information becomes a crutch for the PIG, a handy excuse to not take action.
Rolling around in dirt, PIGs achieve nothing. Reading, listening, and watching never replace doing. Oh - but you need to know what to do, right? Keep reading.

Would you like to know how to cure PIG Syndrome? Glad you asked.

Take action with 10% of the information. You don't need to know everything before you start. You don't need to know damn near anything to start. Just start. Most of what you want to learn, you'll learn on the job. The answers are in the questions.

[shareable cite="@DreAllDay"]You don't need to know everything before you start. You don't need to know damn near anything to start. Just start.[/shareable]

Learn as you go. Emphasis on LEARN. You know about the 10,000 Hour Rule. What many don't know is the context of the rule from Mr. Gladwell. You must be deliberate about what you do and how you do it; it's not about just counting time. And you must get feedback on your work, so you know what's working and not working. This feedback would be best coming from someone better than you. Find a mentor. Hire a coach. Join a group of some kind. Your timeline will be quite long without reviews from people who are better than you.

Do you know the final fate of most PIGs? They become the bacon on your cheeseburger, the ham at Christmas dinner. Eating everything and getting fat (on information) may be fun. But the game is rigged against you. They're just fattening you up for the feast.

Don't end up in the oven.