Failing Better

If knowledge feeds the mind through the brain, then experience feeds the mind through the body. Thus knowledge without experience is philosophy. Experience without knowledge is ignorance. And knowledge with experience produces wisdom.

It's like learning to ride a bike. You can study how to ride a bike, the balance, the best techniques, efficient ways to peddle. Without ever riding the bike, it is only a concept (taken from the experience of someone else). On the other side of the spectrum, you can hop on a bike with no instruction and try to figure it out for yourself. You will experience of myriad of events from falling to balancing for a few moments to maybe eventually riding.

Having someone provide knowledge coupled with the experience, produces the wisdom to learn how to ride (and faster). This is one of the reasons why the great scientist Robert Feynman once said, "Experiment is the sole judge of truth".

As we embark in working towards becoming better people, volleyball players, friends, partners, teammates, etc... we recognize that there are things that nourish the mind (knowledge & experience). This is why we feel energized when we learn new information or experience something new. It is nourishment for the mind.

The more knowledge we gain through learning the more potential power we have. And the more we experiment with that knowledge through experience, the more wisdom we have. At the end of the day, if we wish to maximize our life, we must ask ourselves what knowledge did we gain today and what new experiences did we live today. As athletes, if we want to grow as a player, we must gain the knowledge + take the risk to experience something new.

For example, if I want to get an amazing kill consistently... I must first learn the knowledge of what that takes and then take the risk (experiment) to achieve that outcome (experience). Most players never take the risk. They fear the mistake and thus repeat their mediocrity and wonder why they never get better (if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got). Once it is experienced with the proper knowledge, it becomes wisdom and part of you as a player. So go and take risks!!

So an executable skill without knowledge is ignorance. Knowledge of the skill without application is philosophy. Knowledge with execution is growth.

Fail better.