Quality Experience

Someone once said, "Experience is nothing but a collection of mistakes we have made in the past."

So, then must we conclude if we have not made enough mistakes, the quality of our years of experience is questionable? Before we go into that, let us determine the cause of mistakes. Are mistakes something that people make intentionally? Have you ever thought about the origin of mistakes? The answer to this question will provide the answer to what links mistakes to good quality experiences!

From my perspective, the true definition of Experience is – “Experience is nothing but a collection of challenges we have taken and the lessons we learned through those challenges.”

When we take a challenge to do something we have never done before, we are bound to make a few mistakes before making things right and achieving success. And that’s why the true experience is not only the mistakes but the things that gave success also.

Let's consider an example for us to understand this puzzle:

Scenario: Bob and Adam are two business analysts on the same team, and their manager asked both of them to execute a new task to improve a process that neither had attempted before. Bob and Adam both have the same skill set.

Bob's thought process: I have never done it before, but I would love to take on this challenge and do my best. Even if I make mistakes, I will learn from it, and it will enhance my career after I make it a success. Also, my manager is cognizant of the fact that I have never done it before, so when I make it a success, it will be a big win for me. Let's do it!

Adam's thought process: I have never done it before; I can't take the chance of looking bad by failing in this task. I should just skip it and let Bob handle it. I should play safe and keep my name in good standing in the company. I don't want to do it.

In the above example, which person is willing to try even at the expense of making mistakes? Who will have a better professional experience because of their outlook? Adam will not make mistakes, but at the same time, he would not be able to add new skills and experience to his profile either. On the other hand, Bob will make mistakes and correct them during the process, which will leave him with a better experience by adding new skills and maximizing his professional growth.

When we make mistakes as a result of undertaking challenges, only then we can experience the exploration that leads to our own growth. And if we are willing to take those calculated risks, we will definitely have a much better quality of experience than those who are afraid of changes and challenges. We can keep adding years to our life doing the same thing and being afraid of change and challenges, but that will just add years, not quality experience.

As we learn from our challenges, we give it a name: experience. This experience in turn becomes invaluable for those who are walking the same path of the experienced and can learn from the mistakes that were already made and fixed. In this way, our own experience serves a dual purpose. Not only does it lead to our own personal/professional growth, it also prevents others from making the same mistakes providing them the extra time to make their challenges successful faster.

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--Try to pursue quality experience not just number of years--

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.