“We do not learn from experience… November 16, 2008
Posted by thinkphd in : Miscellaneous , trackback…… we learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey
I found this quote today and it really speaks to me. We can experience all kinds of things, but unless we use that experience to grow and develop, it does us no good at all. Perhaps this is why some people seem to have “horse sense” and others do not. Some can remember and use the learning to apply to future situations, and others simply move through life making the same mistakes over and over. Of course all of us have to be kicked and reminded about some things over and over, such as putting the car keys in the purse as soon as we walk in the door (so we don’t have to panic when we can’t find them). I am pretty knuckle-headed sometimes and so life does make the learn the same lessons over and over, but generally, I try to “pay attention” so that I don’t make the same mistake twice.
Sometimes I am pretty hard on myself, such as if I blew a big presentation or said something the wrong way, but perhaps I need that to remember not to do the same thing again. I am going to make a conscious effort this week to reflect on experiences so that I can move onto the next. I want to learn and move ahead, both in my career and personal life. I am going to think about Dewey’s quote and see if I can avoid life giving a second reprimand because I didn’t learn something the first time.
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