“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.” – Terry Pratchett

There is a significant difference between knowledge and wisdom. Having knowledge does not necessarily mean you have the ability to improve your life or your circumstances. Reading books does not make you a great teacher, a skillful therapist, or a healthy parent – experience does. There is no substitute for experience to develop our abilities, talents, and inner wisdom. As a good friend of mine often says, you can starve reading a cookbook.

Unfortunately, we often don’t take advantage of opportunities to gain experience due to a fear of failing, not being good enough, or worrying about what others may think of us. We have all failed, made mistakes, and been embarrassed. We have also all been successful and appreciated. However, if we look deeply, our level of value and success is always related to the degree of challenges we have had to overcome.

Our life is not a thing we master, it is a continual process of learning and growing. We will learn and grow a lot more when we are willing to get our hands dirty and engage in the opportunities life has to offer. In fact, the wisdom born of our bumps and bruises is often more profound than that of our successes.

I invite you to take a moment to identify some fears that are holding you back from opportunities you would like to engage in. Pick a fear you would like to face and participate in an activity that directly challenges it. Start with something safe and doable. – John Bruna

The above is an excerpt from one of the daily inspirations sent to the members of the Mindful Life Community.

Copyright © 2018 John Bruna. All rights reserved.