Training Wheels

I picked up a little bike for Tristen for his upcoming birthday.  To help him learn balance, I have the training wheels a little offset rather than flat on the ground.  Walking by the bike this morning, I took particular interest in it leaning to one side, resting on one of the training wheels.  That little wheel triggered a train of thoughts about the need for training wheels as we progress through life.  Life’s training wheels come in all sorts of flavors.  We have our intuition, need for self-preservation, trial and error, listening, school, observing; however, what I consider some of the better ones are life experiences of others or lessons learned. There’s nothing like experience. 

I think about all the times my Dad gave, and still gives, me advice or about his experiences, which have helped me with whatever situation I was working through at the time.  I’m a big believer in asking questions in order to learn a little more in hopes of skipping a misstep. If I can talk with someone that has lived through whatever it is, find out what they did, and apply it to my life, that is total win for me.  I know that is one of the reasons I like talking with people older than me.  They have lots of lessons learned if you take the time to listen.  The phrase we use a lot in my industry, “Making informed decisions based on lessons learned and best practices.”

Do you find yourself with skinned knees for bumps and bruises from losing your balance in life?  Check your training wheels.  Might be time for a few lessons learned.