Flailing in the Wind

We often hear that we’ve got to experience things firsthand before we can master them.

Aristotle said “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” He’s telling us that we need to get our hands dirty in order to gain mastery of a subject, but that doesn’t mean that first-hand experience is the only path to knowledge.

Seth Godin tells us that “There are things you will have trouble experiencing until you read them (first) in a book.

In many of our professions, intricate, technical concepts abound. Without an introduction to the material, without a prelude to the story, without a working knowledge of the basic principles of our craft, we’re left grasping at straws; flailing in the wind until we screw up enough times to know better.

Why not take advantage of every opportunity we can to find a shortcut to success?

We should read everything we can to get better at everything we do.


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