Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later, a collection of mistakes is what is called experience." ~ Denis Waitley As I approach my mid-sixties, I have a great deal of experience. And yes, much of that experience is the result of a lifetime of mistakes. Some of those mistakes were obvious, some were avoidable, some were incredibly painful, and others just temporarily knocked me off-stride. All of these, however, contribute significantly to who I am today. Given this understanding of experience, I guess what I'm really talking about here is wisdom. I've never considered myself to be overly-intelligent. Yes, I have a Master's Degree, but that simply means I jumped through the hoops of academia for the prescribed number of years.

I read the required texts, completed the required courses, participated in group discussions, and wrote more papers than I'd like to remember. While it was certainly a valuable learning experience, all I learned in the classroom pales in comparison to the lessons I've learned in life, quite often through my mistakes. Throughout my life, I've acquired a fair amount of wisdom -- information, insights, and experience, which has guided me through my adult life, and which, now and then, I have the opportunity to share with others. Through the years, I've shared much of this wisdom with my three boys in situations I like to call teachable moments. In the classroom, I was able to share some of this wisdom with my students. On my Attitude of Gratitude blog site, I've shared much of what I've learned in life with those who happen to read my posts. And in casual conversations with friends, I often have the opportunity to share little tidbits of my lived experience, as I listen and learn from the little tidbits of their lived experience. I've even taken the opportunity to share some of what I've learned in life with my friends on Facebook.

When I was younger, I was very impressed with information, and I tried to impress others by displaying evidence of the information I had absorbed in my academic studies. Now I realize the shortcomings of information alone. Our society today is inundated with information. The technology available to us in this still-new millennium bombards us with more information than we can possibly handle. There seems to be, however, a shortage of wisdom in the world today, and those who possess wisdom, and dare to share it with others, are often perceived as outdated, obsolete, or no longer relevant because the wisdom they share doesn't seem quite as practical as the current information streaming through our latest tech devices. I'm tremendously grateful for what I learned in school. Much of that information has helped me to be a productive member of society. I'm even more grateful, however, for the wisdom I've acquired through the years, and for the wisdom I have yet to acquire.

I've come to appreciate that, while information can help us to live a successful life, it is wisdom which enables us to live life to the fullest.