Knowing Isn’t Enough: The Power of Action

Welcome back to the Sourdough of Success. Last time, I introduced the comparison between making a sourdough starter with success. Today, I'll dive into the how you get started with a goal — whether that goal be to bake delicious sourdough bread at home or to get the job of your dreams — and the crucial point that just knowing how to do something isn't enough. 

I'll start with some personal background. Growing up, I was like a rabbit. I loved munching on carrots and lettuce and all sorts of veggies. When my nearby BBQ offered me a cookie, I would cry and ask for a salad. I hated cookies. The moist, squishy, limp sugar breads were like baby barf in my mouth (I hadn't experienced baby barf in my mouth, but I could imagine). 

I felt similarly about other flour products, including bread. It was completely unappetizing to me (one might say I found it insipid). 

The snacks at the American University of Paris Valentine's Day movie screening event.

Then, I moved to France and suddenly, I loved bread.  

My first few days, I lived off of huge baguettes that cost €0.50. The bread was completely unlike anything I had tasted before. The outside was crisped to perfection and the inside was airy and light. 

It was a Eureka! moment for me. I didn't hate bread. I just hated American bread. Similarly, I didn't hate cheese, I just found that plastic "American" cheese unpalatable (and really, who could blame me?). 

So what does my non-hatred of bread have to do with sourdough and success? 

The Baguette vending machine in Normandie. 

I'm living in the United States again and lack access to delicious French bread. In February, I went back to France with my daughter. Even the baguettes in vending machines were better than any bread I've tasted in the US. 

When I returned home, I decided that I would make my own bread. I was adamant about baking bread that I could actually enjoy and savor. In comes sourdough. 

But how does one bake sourdough? 

Step 1

The first step to any undertaking is to assess where you currently stand. What do you know about the goal? What do you need? Do you have what you need?

I knew very little about baking, let alone creating my own sourdough starter. We're fortunate (and a bit unfortunate) to live in a sea of knowledge and information (and misinformation). So I did what any self-respecting, bright-eyed baker-to-be would do and turned to the Internet. I joined a Sourdough Baking group on FaceBook and scoured it for information. I looked for those who were successfully baking delicious-looking loaves and sought their guidance. 

Step 2

The second step of an undertaking is to identify those who are doing what you want to do, and not just doing it, but who embody excellence in that area. Reach out to them. Ask them what they do. Watch what they do. Put their advice into practice, emulate them. 

Step 3

Now that you have gathered the necessary information from a reputable source, you can put it into action. Knowing something is not enough. You can learn how to make bread and still be left with flour, water, and butter sitting sadly on the counter, waiting to be guided and shaped into form. 

The third step is doing. And I've found that the experience of learning about something versus doing that thing is immensely different. 

Getting Started... 

To begin your sourdough starter, you must combine equal parts water and flour, mix it, and then. leave it in a room-temperature location, loosely covered for 24 hours. On an intellectual level, I thought I understood what the process entailed. I quickly found that it was more complex than I had been led to believe.

 It was recommended to use a food scale to weigh out the water and the flour. That seemed like a hassle, so I decided to just use a measuring cup. However, I hadn't realize that "equal parts" referred to weight and that 1/4 cup of water is much heavier than 1/4 cup of flour. I do know that on an intellectual level, but it hadn't registered in my mind while mixing the flour. 

After 3 days of trying out "my method" and being left with drowned flour, I reached out to the sourdough group for help. The answer was simple. I needed to use a food scale. 

I don't know why I was so resistant to the idea. I actually had a food scale. I had never used it before and felt resistant to the idea. Finally, at the insistence of Successful Sourdough Strangers on the inter-webs, I pulled the scale from the deep recesses of my cabinet and measured out 20g of my watery starter, 20 grams of flour, and 20 grams of water. 

The Successful Sourdough Strangers insisted that my prior 3 days weren't a complete waste and that I could salvage my watery starter by consistently mixing it with proper equal parts water and flour (and they were right!). 

Goliath, my current in-progress sourdough starter.

Another thing about sourdough starters is that consistency matters. You can't rush the process and, while you can miss a day, you really ought not to miss more than one. Giving about 24 hours in between feedings allows the starter time to develop and grow. 

I had to maintain a consistent habit of putting 20 grams of the starter into a jar, adding 20 grams of water and 20 grams of flour, and mixing it. And then just... waiting. 

I did this every night before going to bed. It became part of a habit loop. I would put my daughter down to bed, go exercise, shower, brush my teeth, and then feed my starter. 

I recommend putting a new habit you're trying to build after a certain daily action in order to have a "trigger" for the new habit. This comes from James Clear's recommendations in his book Atomic Habits. 

Sourdough as a Metaphor for Success

One of my favorite loaves that I've made - a s'mores loaf!

The approach to success in any undertaking is much the same. Figure out what you know, what you have, and what you need. Find those who have succeeded in what you want to do, and learn from them. But most importantly, act. You don't act once, or twice—you act over and over until it becomes a habit. Consistency is the key to turning knowledge into success.

How to Stop Thinking and Start Doing

How do you go from knowing to doing? This can be a hard roadblock to overcome. You can know on an intellectual level that mixing the flour and water everyday will eventually result in an active sourdough starter, but during the seemingly endless days of tedium, mixing flour and water, washing wet-flour caked forks and jars, you can begin to doubt. 

You can begin to lose sight of the delicious, freshly baked bread that actually tastes good. You can think, "What if I'm not doing this right? What if I keep doing this day after day and the sourdough starter never rises?" 

Immersing yourself in a community of sourdough bakers and seeing their successes every day can help keep you on track. Having an accountability partner can do wonders as well. You keep each other on track with your goal. 

Make Success Part of Your Daily Routine

But what about if you don't have an accountability partner or a community for your particular goal? That’s where Six Minutes to Success comes in. This program offers a tool for turning knowledge into daily, actionable steps. And just like sourdough, these small, consistent actions transform us from the inside out. Imagine starting each day with a quick six-minute video packed with practical insights and a simple exercise to put into action. 

I receive a short under 6-minute video in my inbox every morning at 4 am. When I get up at 5 or 6 before my daughter wakes up, I watch the video, feel inspired and motivated to make the day a success. Receiving these videos and short exercises also keeps my goal front and center, allowing me to keep the momentum to "feed my starter" of success every day. 

What's more, Six Minutes to Success is $1 to try for the first month, and then (if you decide to continue) it's $30 a month. I find it greatly surpasses the value and it's affordable for me as a single mom on a teacher salary.

For anyone who’s struggled to stick with goals, these six minutes can be a game-changer, keeping you focused on your dreams, feeding that sourdough starter, one day at a time. 

From Starter to Success: 
It’s All About Showing Up

Success, like sourdough, thrives on the little things you do every day. It’s not about grand gestures or sudden transformations; it’s about showing up, even when the results seem far away. Every feeding of your sourdough starter, every small action toward your goal, is a step closer to that crisp, golden loaf—whatever dream you’re baking in your life.

Knowing is the seed, but action is the sunlight, water, and care that makes it grow. Without action, knowledge remains dormant, like a bag of flour sitting in the pantry. With it, you create something alive, something vibrant.

So, whether it’s baking bread, landing your dream job, or mastering a new skill, start small, stay consistent, and keep going—even when it feels tedious. The journey might be messy, but the rewards will be delicious. Just remember: success doesn’t come to those who wait; it comes to those who do.

Now, what’s your first step? 🌟