Analyzing Your Experiences
Wisdom is a virtue that isn’t innate, but can only be acquired through experience. Anyone who is interested in trying new things and reflecting on the process has the ability to gain wisdom. By learning as much as you can, analyzing your experiences and putting your knowledge to the test, you can become a wiser person.
Try new things. It’s hard to gain wisdom when you stay in and do the same thing day after day. You get wiser when you put yourself out there and give yourself the opportunity to learn, make mistakes and reflect on the experience. If you tend to be on the inhibited side, work on cultivating an inquisitive spirit and the willingness to put yourself in new situations. Every time you experience something new, you open yourself up to the possibility of learning and getting a little wiser for having tried it.
Going to places you’ve never been before is a great way to get some life experience. Such as booking a trip to another city, or taking a road trip to the next town over. Make an effort to eat at a restaurant that’s popular with the locals, rather than going to your favorite chain. Every chance you get, choose newness over the familiar.
Trying new social activities is another good way to open up your world. If you tend to spend your time watching sports, get tickets to see a play. If you’re a total bookworm, you could sign up for a hiking club or join a bowling team.
Step out of your comfort zone. If you’re afraid to do something, perhaps that’s the very thing you should try to do. When you have to deal with an awkward or scary situation, you come out on the other side better equipped to handle fear the next time you face it. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face . . . we must do that which we think we cannot.”
For example, if you’re afraid of public speaking, volunteer to give a presentation.
If you dislike talking about your feelings, make an effort to have a conversation with a loved one telling the person how much you care. Ask the person how he or she feels, too.
Make an effort to talk to people you don’t know very well. Talk to people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives from yours, and pay attention to what you can learn from them. Try not to judge them based on your own narrow point of view. The more you’re able to empathize with others, the wiser you will be.
Practice being a good listener, and ask a lot of questions to find out more. Really pay attention to what people are saying instead of letting your mind wander. Every conversation gives you the chance to understand someone better, broaden your views and thus become wiser.
Share yourself with the people you’re talking to, too. Work on going deeper than casual conversation and fostering new friendships.
