Experience is not the best teacher

Experience is not the best teacher

Have you ever missed out on an opportunity to someone with more "experience"? Only to find their expertise lacking in skill or wisdom.

It’s a common situation in workplaces and life: experience alone isn’t the best teacher.

Some people use their experiences to grow and evolve. Others stay stagnant, accumulating years without insight.

As John C. Maxwell explains, "We all begin our lives as empty notebooks. Every day, we have an opportunity to record new experiences on our pages. With each page turn, we gain knowledge and understanding. Some people seem to leave the notebook closed most of the time."

This notion reminds us that reflection is the key to turning experience into wisdom. Without it, experience is a series of events, not a pathway to growth.

The real transformation comes when we take time to evaluate. Ask yourself, “What did I learn?” and “How can I apply this?”

Only then does experience evolve into true understanding.

Here are four key steps to transform experience into insight:

  1. Recognise Repeated Patterns: Experience helps to recognise familiar mistakes when we repeated. Awareness of these patterns can prevent us from getting stuck in unproductive cycles.
  2. Reflect Daily: At the end of each day, ask, “What did I learn today?” Reflection allows us to take stock, making each experience meaningful.
  3. Embrace Life’s Detours: Mistakes, unexpected changes, and detours are stepping stones. When we embrace these moments, they become opportunities for growth rather than setbacks.
  4. Check: Consistent evaluation reveals insights we can carry forward. This helps to deepen your understanding of yourself and your journey

Remember, growth is part of an evaluated experience.  Not the number of years or titles we accumulate.

As the saying goes, “After twenty-five years go by, some don’t have twenty-five years of experience. They have one year of experience, repeated twenty-five times.”

So, while experience itself is valuable, it’s through reflection and evaluation that it transforms into wisdom.

Take the time to review, question, and learn from each experience—this is the path to true growth and understanding.

 Be Bold.   Be Strategic.   Be Unique.

Keep shining. 🌟

Michelle McQuilton FRVAHJ

Events, Retail, Operational Manager. Public Speaker and Educator (FOH) Hospitality

1mo

Very informative thankyou

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Genevieve Lai

Australia's only female Master Trainer of NLP and Hypnosis | Internationally Accredited Trainer of Time Line Therapy® and NLP Coaching

1mo

Great, easy to follow tips here, Stacey. I do occasionally get so caught up in the doing, that I forget to reflect, thank you for the reminder. It is such an integral part of the process we call life, for growth and the embodiment of wisdom. 🙏

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