Experience is great! But it's a double-edged sword too

Our mind or human brain is a very interesting.

From our interactions with the outside world, we do play a part in the wiring of our human brain? Awesome!

Connecting all the brain cells are neuron pathways. When we repeat a task, a behaviour, or a habit, these neuron pathways get strengthen each time.

In layman's speak, the more we do, the more we can do it "with our eyes closed".  

Can you remember the first time you tried cooking following the recipes from a cookbook?

Didn't we follow the written instructions to a tee? Instruction to add 5 ml and we really measure 5 ml exactly?

What happens when we have cooked the same dish several times? 5 ml becomes a dash, a pinch, a sprinkle - all according to our personal taste  ;)

After several years investing/trading in the markets, do you still see a difference between P/E 12 versus P/E 12.7? Or technical support level 2600 versus 2630?

When newbies are busy measuring, analysing, and maybe arguing with themselves, you would have already come to a quick assessment of the situation and acted.

You don't need to have all the information to fit into nice cookie-cutters.

That's the wonderful feeling that comes from: Been there; done that.

Warning! Experience comes from action. Not passive listening, reading, reflection (that's talking to me too!), dreaming, fantasizing, etc.

Can you see why motivational seminars fail to reap the growth you’d hoped for, or why discussion groups get lost in the lack of progress you find at work?

Change comes to the human brain with action, and passion for further change follows in a step-by-step fashion.

I'm sure we have relatives (and I am one of them) who have great passion to change for the better - be it stop smoking, stop gambling, stop womanizing, stop overeating, stop overspending so much, start a business, learn a new skill, etc. How many have acted on their passion?


I eat salt more than you eat rice 

I've never liked it when seniors "pull rank" on me based on their extensive experience.

Exerience is great as we can cut-to-the-chase and zero-in onto the critical make or break decision making points. However, this works only if "this time it's the same".

If we do not have the self-awareness to recognise a paradigm shift - or this time it's different - we may fall into the mental trap of using yesterday's solutions to solve today's problems.

It's our neuron pathways again. We all prefer to use the established broadband pathways and not the less frequently used 56K dial-up pathways ;)

That is why I like to keep an open mind to listen to the "crazy and sometimes far out" ideas of the youth. Never mind often I feel like saying: "Are you sure that will work?"

But once in a while, I will recognise my folly and do a mental sommersault and re-calibrate.

You may want to read my post celebrating youth as a counter balance: Youth - your strength is you don't know what cannot be done!


Confused? That's the fun part of living in shades of grey!