Many of us do not think well of ourselves, especially about the things we have been through in the past because we lack the competence to do so. And even when we do, we often do not run the evaluations in the right way.
Evaluating and analyzing our experiences in the right way means that we look deeply into the lessons they bequeathed to us and what they made us. By this, we are able to better apply ourselves to the new opportunities that present themselves or we use them to create new opportunities.
According to Ray Dalio, it is okay to make mistakes but it's not acceptable not to learn from them. Advising that it's good to make this a culture, Dalio must really cherish his experiences, whether they stem from mistakes, errors or whatever. What is essential is the lessons that accrue from them. And unless we effectively analyze and evaluate them, we may not see them for the value they are.
As Einstein said, Adversity introduces us to ourselves; if we are truly introduced to ourselves by our adversity, then it behooves of us to run a critical analysis of such adversities so as to gain great insight into who we are and then hone our self-awareness quotient through them.
To validate our experiences means to x-ray them critically for value. Right now, I do believe that you have everything within and around you with which you can play now and get to your next port of call. Yes, you do. Unfortunately, you do not know this for a fact because you are not thinking of it in the right way.
For example, if you religiously performed any task whatsoever in the past, maybe in the area of how you carried out household chores, do you know that the value of diligence would have been impacted in you?
Again, the value of industry and discipline would have been built into you such that, even if you were always reminded, threatened or flogged as a little child to do those things, you would have become used to such values that when you need to apply any of them in your later tasks and responsibilities, you would not have any issues borrowing from the past because it's already in you.
Take a pen and document your experiences in the different areas you have worked, schooled, played, read, went on vacation and more. Write down the activities you were engaged in. Think about the activities and see what lessons you would come up with in terms of skills.
What did you go through when you were in school? If you went to a boarding school where you are made to live a regimented life, some things become a routine for you: the time you go to bed, the time you wake up, when you do your morning devotion, when and how you dress your bed, the activity of taking your bath, going for classes, observing siesta, going for prep classes and the like.
All of these would have infused great values into. Unfortunately, thoughts of pecuniary gains prevent you from accessing and applying this value. You don't know you have them because you seek the things that are not of immediate importance now.
In later life, you will find out that what you do routinely is responsible for what you become and how you turn out. If you evaluate and analyze the experiences well, you would be awed at what you have deposited in you.
How come you often think that you have nothing right now? Why do we often think of value in terms of money and we forget that wealth is beyond the physical things that our eyes can see?
The values of diligence, the character of punctuality, the service mentality, the discipline to stick to a positive routine are great attitudes we need to negotiate with in order to reach our next goal in life. And we have been bequeathed with all of these willy-nilly as we grew up.
Unfortunately, our minds run at a deficit because we were not deliberately raised and wired to think in the right way. This is the problem that many of us face and it's the problem of poor education. Any person or society that does not evolve and change according to the requirements of times passing by, "dies" or stagnates. This is a virus that robs us of the values we already have.
Think of the experiences you earned on your last job. If you were diligent to always be in the moment, some values would have been deeply entrenched in you such that you would have become adept in one or two areas of life. This becomes strengths that you can use to win if you are truly aware that you have them as you really do, and diligently apply them routinely just as you earned them.
When we begin to appreciate values and see them as the truly enduring wealth that they are, then we would learn to properly validate what's inculcated in us over the years. We would not need to complain about having no money because we already have more than we need to earn money.
If you haven't already, click here to get your e-version of my book, ASCENTS AND DESCENTS.
