Learning from "OPE" (Other People's Experiences)

As an executive transition coach, I can't help but marvel at our collective ability to ignore the lessons that other people's experiences serve up on a silver platter. 

We say we want to learn from mentors and others who have forged the path ahead of us....But do we? We listen to their stories, read their books and then promptly ignore most of what we could have learned. 

So why don't we learn more from the experiences of others?  Is it because we need to "feel it" ourselves to absorb it?  How can we can keep ourselves open and learn from the mistakes of those that came before us? 

Start by avoiding falling into some common traps.

💡𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗜𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗲” 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲; 

Many of us look at the experiences of other people and think - "well, I'm different". 

While that is true, there are many common transitions we share in our lives - and while we might experience them differently based on our unique personalities, the experiences themselves have some common themes that we might learn from.   Think...empty nest syndrome, changing jobs (forced or unforced), moving cities, retiring etc.....pretty much every transition you will face, has been faced before.

💡𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 

Most of us only hear what we want to hear and filter out the rest of what is said that we think doesn't apply to us.

Try hard to listen to understand rather than to respond or filter things out.  It could be that the thing you are filtering out now, might just be the advice you will need in a few months or years as you progress through your journey. 

💡𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹: 

Data indicates that humans have an insatiable desire to reinvent the wheel, especially if it means we get to make the same mistakes in a more creative and innovative way. 

Kidding aside, don't waste time creating something that someone else has already perfected.  Try the "three R's" (read, research and reach out to others) to find out what exists in the world that you can benefit from. 

While your journey is uniquely yours, learning from others who have been down the same road can not only make you feel better, but it might move you towards your goals faster. 

What advice did you get that you wish you had listened to?