Experience Isn’t the Best Teacher: Someone Who Made the Mistake Already Is
"The only source of knowledge is experience."
Einstein was a pretty smart guy, and his philosophy aligns with my traditional approach to learning.
I make the mistake. I feel the pain. Eventually, I learn from it.
Having made many mistakes, I have by now accumulated many lessons. And the kind of stories that are great for retelling.
They’re great because eventually, everything turns out okay.
But as I get some distance from my 23 days at sea, I think the most valuable lesson I can learn is….to learn my lessons differently.
There’s another quote that rivals Einstein’s for wisdom.
“Dumb people don’t learn.
Smart people learn from their mistakes.
Really smart people learn from other people’s mistakes.”
I live most of my life in that middle category. I need to experience something for myself before I can absorb it.
But my career is focused on making my clients smarter than me.Taking what I’ve learned and helping other entrepreneurs avoid similar mistakes. Saving them money. Sparing them pain.
Your biggest strengths are also your fatal flaws.
I went on this incredible journey, but I’m not sure I should have been doing it in the first place. I had these crazy experiences, and now I have lessons to share. It’s an amazing story.
The whole trip was worth it…but only because everything turned out okay.
***
In the aftermath - boat repairs, insurance claims - I’ve been reflecting on one key decision I made during the trip. Actually, before it.
I didn’t update the maps in my boat’s GPS. They were only a few years old, and I had a backup option. But if my maps had been current, I wouldn’t have had some of the issues I had along the way. A whole cascade of events could have been avoided.
The thing is: I knew the maps were outdated. I consulted with my captain and boat management company.
What I heard them say was, “It will probably be okay if you don’t do it.”
What I should have heard was, “You should definitely do the updates, but ultimately it’s your boat, your trip, your decision.”
I am insistent when I give my clients recommendations. I don’t let things slide. But that’s part of my personality and communication style. I’m a driver, and when I feel vehemently about something, I’m not afraid to say so.
Not everyone communicates the same way. I wish they did (for my sake), but they don’t. So the guidance I got about my GPS wasn’t strong enough (for me). And I wasn’t smart enough to take the good advice.
Being able to learn from other people’s mistakes requires you to recognize when you’re getting good advice in the first place.
***
Mistakes are inevitable - even with the best advice, we will all make them. The most we can do in that situation is to learn our lessons well.
But I’m more committed than ever to learning from each other. Not only sharing the mistakes that I’ve already made, but listening carefully to avoid making new ones.
