Wiser Than You Know

In many areas you are knowledgeable. But do you know that you are wise, too? Perhaps far wiser than you realize.

Wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom is the product of lessons learned in the school of life. Wisdom can be hard won; for it is often birthed in the ashes of failure.

Theodore Levitt, of the Harvard Business School, said, "Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes from what we have done badly." If that is true, I am wiser than I ever imagined!

One man tells of sitting next to a "wise" woman on a flight to Florida. He was preparing his notes for one of the parent- education seminars he conducted as an educational psychologist. Bessie, an older woman sitting next to him, explained that she was returning to Miami after having spent two weeks visiting her six children, 18 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren in Boston.

Then she inquired what he did for a living. The man explained that he was a doctor psychologist specializing in children. He dreaded telling her this, as he fully expected her to question him for free professional advice during the three-hour flight. Instead, she sat back, picked up a magazine and said, "So doctor, if there's anything you want to know, just ask me."

Bessie's years of parenting and grand-parenting gave her what no professional degrees could -- wisdom. And though her comment may have been made in jest, she probably could have added much to the seminar.

Don't dismiss those mistakes and tough times you have suffered. Don't discount your many life experiences. You paid a high price for them. And if you learned well, they brought you something priceless -- wisdom! For everything you have done -- EVERYTHING -- has given you experience. And if it did not all go as well as you'd hoped, then you also gained some wisdom. This wisdom, the progeny of your setbacks and difficulties, may be your most valuable asset! Who will benefit from your wisdom today?

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