There seems to be a common perception in our culture that knowledge equals wisdom, however I don’t believe this is true.

I would say that wisdom is what knowledge becomes when we have brought it into our hearts and experienced it as true.

Wisdom cannot be gained by passively accepting what we read or by believing what another person tells us. We must take an idea or thought and test it, truly investigate it, before it can become wisdom.

Wisdom requires awareness and a willingness to ask ourselves—and experience firsthand—what is true for each of us.

We’ve all read a book, or heard someone speak, and learned ideas and theories that sounded really great; but this information cannot be wisdom until it has been tested in our own experiences.

In other words, wisdom comes from walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

According to Buddha, we cannot believe something just because it is written in a book, or because the person who said it is well-known, or a teacher, or an elder. He said to only believe something after you have tested it in your own heart and found it to be true.

He states, “Those who recite many scriptures but fail to practice their teachings are like a cowherd counting another’s cows.”

What I’ve since realized is that wisdom does not mean “knowing” all of the answers.

Wisdom is a state of mind, specifically, an openness of mind, that has explored and experienced truth. Wisdom requires action.

Wisdom does not have set answers for everything, but instead has a willingness to learn. Rather than trying to resist or hide my not-knowing, I have learned to embrace it with compassion and use it as an opportunity to consider a new way of understanding something.

There is a tremendous amount of freedom that comes when we relieve ourselves of this burden to always have the “right” answer.

If you are struggling with something in your life right now, consider this: There is no one right answer. There is a lot of information out there, and it can be overwhelming at times, especially when you encounter the zealots (which can be me sometimes) who swear that this (fill in the blank) is the solution.

The solution already exists inside of you. The wisdom will be revealed as you begin to experiment with the different ideas and discover what is true for you.

Consider asking yourself, “What feels right for me?” “What do I believe to be true?”