Some of life's most valuable lessons aren't found in books. They're learned by doing, failing, and trying again.
Is it better to be book smart or street smart?
After a lifetime of lessons learned, I'm beginning to realize they're both important.
I think it's important to learn from other people's mistakes, but most of my real learning came from my own.
That's the way it works, right?
You can learn in school, or you can read books and create knowledge in other ways.
It's important.
But in the end, the deepest lessons usually come from hard experience.
Looking back at my life, most people would consider me uneducated. I never finished high school, and I never went to college.
It wasn't my path.
I chose to go to work.
And I always excelled.
At everything.
It didn't matter what it was.
I'd start out on the assembly line, and before you knew it, I was teaching others the ropes.
I was in management many times.
I owned several businesses.
I was the guy they called when a customer was upset.
I could fix it.
Or when a job went south, I could usually find a solution.
I went to a lot of classes. Companies sent me here and there for all kinds of training.
Mold remediation.
Water restoration.
Asbestos and lead paint removal.
Blueprints, gauges, and instruments.
Safety.
Sales training.
More than I could list.
I've driven helical piers to lift broken homes, rebuilt car engines, and run CNC machines in machine shops.
I've learned a lot of pretty cool things in my life.
On the other hand, I was also the guy who crashed the machine and sent parts flying everywhere.
I f*cked some shit up!
For sure.
But that's how I learned.
I wasn't afraid to tear something up. That's, in fact, how you learn.
Afterwards, I'd always think:
Yeah...
Don't do that again.
Hehe.
I think a lot of people today are scared.
They're afraid to break something.
When really—that's where the learning happens.
Don't be scared.
Go break something.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might also like "The Pain of a Tiny Pill," where I share how life's toughest lessons helped me navigate Myositis, setbacks, and finding my way back. 👊📕
