Experience vs. Openness (Part one)

As I keep on walking the path of life, the most important tool I can’t ignore is all the experience I’ve accumulated over the years. It’s a guide, an inspiration, a set of guardrails and an ever growing resource that protects me, makes me act efficiently and in my best interest and I would be tempted to believe that I couldn’t ever do as well without such a rich experience. 

All this matters because decades of lived situations give us a mental library. We can easily spot risks and opportunities much faster than someone without that background. In addition, this allows us not to waste energy reinventing the wheel as we already know what works and what doesn’t. It’s also a fact that past challenges remind us that setbacks are survivable, which steadies us in most present situations. 

The bottom line is that experience blends facts with context. It’s not just knowing what to do, but when and why. This doesn’t mean that experience is a perfect teacher. 

We need to pay attention as it can also draw us toward old solutions. When that seems to happen, the best move is to ask: Does my past really fit this new situation, or do I need fresh eyes? In fact, to work as it should for us, experience must act as a guardrail, as I first mentioned, but not a cage — protecting you from repeating mistakes, but leaving room for curiosity and adaptation.

This said, we couldn’t navigate life as effectively without our accumulated experience (the compass). But the real strength is not just having it — it’s knowing when to lean on it, and when to let openness (the map) complement it. Tomorrow, we’ll see how to accomplish just that.