Learning From Experience

If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way. - Mark Twain

I wonder how many people have actually picked up a cat by the tail. I have. They truly do not like it. It hurts them and if you don’t let go in a hurry, it can seriously injure them. They will do whatever it takes to make you let them loose. They will curl up and grab hold of your wrist digging every claw and fang into the flesh of your arm. If you have never seen or experienced this before, it can be hard to know what will really happen.

Thinking about that image of a cat tearing up your arm, you may think, “Why would I ever want to pick a cat up by the tail?” I would never suggest that you do unless for some reason you like the feeling of claws in flesh. What Twain was trying to say is that sometimes you have to just do something to experience it, to learn from it even if it is painful. You might expect it not to work, but taking a chance will show you what might work and will not work.

Most people seem to live their lives cautiously. They are afraid to take chances, to do something other than what they are used to. If you can’t take those chances, then you can’t really live. Chances like talking to someone new, someone who you would never expect to want anything to do with you or buying a house or starting a business. Find a way to make it happen while minimizing the risk to your finances.

You might want to travel , but your afraid of the language barrier or getting lost or getting mugged or any other endless possibilities. Sure, bad things might happen, but are you willing to lose the opportunities and excitement and stories you will be able to tell by getting out there and doing it, just because something bad might happen.

I took a road trip by myself in 2003. I was in a transition period in my job and relationship and I decided to drive from South Florida all the way up to Maine. I stopped and visited some friends. I even visited my Grandmother on the way. I got to spend days in our National Capitol and New York. I spent three days hanging out in my favorite author, Stephen King’s home town, Bangor. I was able to see his house and take the Stephen King tour and even visit the famous “Betts Bookstore.” These are the types of stories you will be able to tell if you grab the cat by the tail and do something you think is worth doing.