Each and every day, you get an opportunity to learn more and create more in your life and business. You read books, magazines, blogs, etc. to stay abreast of new techniques for attracting more clients, satisfying new client desires or even what NOT to do, based on someone's experience. It's often more interesting to learn about the mistakes people make than their success, right? I guess we're often drawn to the negative, but if it keeps you from wasting time, money and effort then learn ALL you can!

And once you consume this new information, what then? What do you do with it? I've heard it said, knowledge is NOT power, until you DO something with it! And that means take action!

I get so jazzed when teaching business owners new ways of thinking about their business. The joy and flash of recognition that crosses their faces is, well, priceless. It's so clear to me that they KNOW these suggestions will make sense and would have an exponential effect on the growth of their business.

And so why do they "stall out" and not do anything with the information? Here then are 3 mistakes business owners make when they learn something new and forfeit the power of it!

Mistake #1 - You assume it can't work because it's too simple

Many consultants and coaches create step-by-step plans and blueprints for their clients, whether corporate or individual business owners. And they do so because they want the client to be able to achieve the results they want after making this investment in themselves and their business.

But what can happen is the client thinks it just can't be that simple a resolution to a problem that had them stumped. So they either put it on a shelf or over-complicate it so that the results expected are lost.

Don't make this mistake. Take just a few of the steps given to you, step back and evaluate your progress BEFORE you put it on a shelf or start to add to what is probably elegantly simple.

Mistake #2 - You get easily distracted by old habits

You get all of this great information and you may even create a plan to put it to use. THEN, the emails come, the clients call, your Facebook page looks interesting and your momentum is lost.

While you can recover, you're already a week or two out and will you remember all the "finer" points to take action on? So you scrap it for now and count on knowing where the information is when you need it.

Wherever you are, one week or two, even a month out, taking just one small step will start the flood of memories so that the "finer" points will resurface. Using the potato chips analogy, you can't eat just one. So take one step toward a new habit of success.

Mistake #3 - You don't get help to stay on track

Business owners are a smart, talented and proud bunch. So if they think they can do it on their own, they will. And this is a major mistake! There are so many business owners who have been there, done that and got the tee shirt! So they KNOW just what to avoid doing "again." Why would you spend time, money and effort to learn such an expensive lesson?

Joining an action group or mastermind; partnering with a peer business owner or accountability buddy; working with a coach or mentor all can help you stay on track, take action without reinventing the wheel, and achieve the results you invested your heart and soul in.

So take this opportunity to learn from these three mistakes to create a more powerful knowledge base from which to grow your business skills and ultimately your business success.