I’ve often wondered why people ask me for advice or come to me with their problems. Maybe it’s because they think I am wise and knowledgable. Or maybe it’s because they think I’m an idiot who has probably made a lot of mistakes and lived to tell about them.
The truth is I am an idiot. I have made a lot of mistakes. This blog might be one of them. Who knows? But, I’m willing to try and mess up or get hurt and persevere.
There is much I don’t know, so when people do ask me for advice I try to draw on the wealth of experiences both good and bad that I have had. The things I have learned I have learned through trial and error, or just error and error and sometimes I look back and laugh at how stupid I was. I know that you shouldn’t do 160 bench pulls with a 45 pound bar after not lifting for six months. I know that you shouldn’t eat an entire meat loaf in one sitting. I also know that you probably shouldn’t drink heavily while on antibiotics. But, I’ve done them all. And I’ve learned from those experiences so that I don’t repeat them.
Now maybe some of these lessons are no brainers and not mistakes that you need to make in order to know that they are dumb in the first place. But, I’ve also got great stories to tell because of them. And humor is a great way to relay wisdom to others. I’ve lived a full, often times comical or absurd life and there are nuggets of truth to draw on in those stories.
So what makes me qualified to give advice if I’m such an idiot? Maybe it’s my honesty. Maybe it’s because I’ve done some pretty cool stuff in the sport of rowing. Maybe it’s the intimidation factor of my hamstrings. Or maybe it’s because even though I’ve made a lot of mistakes I’ve also made a lot of well planned, calculated, and thoughtful decisions in my life. There is a balance between idiocy and wisdom. Any idiot can do 160 bench pulls after not lifting for six months. It’s a wiser, older idiot who remembers to say no the next time.
So what’s my advice for you today? Be an idiot. Make mistakes. Live and learn. And tell great stories so others can learn from your idiocy too.
