Why Is Lived Experience Important?
Without actually DOING things, we are relying on theory, speculation and pure academics. There are a number of things about actually experiencing things for yourself that carry immense value.
First off, lived lessons tend to stick a lot better and longer than the more academic type of experience. Seeing a Van Gogh in a museum > seeing a print of one in an art history book. And painting something original is far better than just memorizing information about “the masters” and a bunch of dates, etc.
No disrespect to reading and education, they are obviously important and will always (hopefully) be PART of life; it’s just important to indulge yourself with the experience of actually doing things and benefitting from the combination.
Why is lived experience important in real life?
Truth is stranger than fiction and if you ever heard someone say “You can’t make that shit up”, you can appreciate why it’s important to experience things for yourself. I invariably have tiny moments of unexpected pleasure while riding my motorcycle down a state road in rural Illinois or Wisconsin and it always occurs to me in that moment that this is why I get up and lace up my boots and throw my leg over my bike. I saw the Trans-Am from Smokey in the Bandit today while riding home from Indianapolis, for example. Probably not “the” car in the movie, but same make and model. T Tops, black, giant, gold firebird on the hood… That was my first true love with respect to cars in movies that were bad ass. I was just 8 years old and I wanted to be Bo Darvill, AKA “The Bandit”. Just a fun little moment as I was riding along Route 39 that I will probably remember for years.
Why lived experience builds trust faster
I find that having a conversation with somebody tends to be much more interesting when both parties have experiences to share and are relatively open and honest in doing so. I tend to be pretty outgoing and the acquaintances I have made just from riding, traveling and taking the fun way over the quick one have been much more interesting and memorable than the more forced conversations at those events that are more obligatory and generally revolve around what each other does for a living.
I tend to seek out the real, the true, the interesting and the fun. They go together so well and life is much too short to spend all of my time talking about the weather… unless it’s going to be a factor on a ride 🙂
I wrote my book for people like me, who appreciate and enjoy real, personal storytelling. People who seek out that type of entertainment aren’t just looking for information. Information is everywhere; data and “content” are never in short supply. My belief is that they are looking for something real and personal and even confessional in nature at times. A book like Go Big Or Go F*CK Yourself appeals to people not because it offers up some perfect life or formulaic musing, but rather a story that has all of the ups, downs and asides of real life. I feel like and hope that it is relatable to a lot of people in that way.
Experience does not replace expertise, but it changes it
As someone who tries to learn through experience, I definitely have had a few moments when I was able to deal with a situation, not from direct experience in that type of challenge, but due to just having learned so many different things over time and being generally curious. If you don’t know how to change a tire on an automobile and you own a car, you might want to learn. Start with finding out where the spare wheel and tools are and then look at the owner’s manual or go online to teach yourself the process. When you end up on the side of a farm road in Iowa with a flat and no cellphone service, you will be so glad you did. You are not suddenly a mechanic or automobile technician of any kind; you’re no expert. But you have the tools to solve a problem and get yourself out of harms way.
Why is lived experience important for identity?
So many people talk about how one shouldn’t identify themselves solely or mostly by their profession – “You are not your job”. So, who the F*CK are you? You are what you like and what you don’t like and what you do when given the opportunity to choose your next activity. If you don’t ever go anywhere or learn anything or see anyone or anything, all that’s left is television series’ and movies. I think to know who you really are, it’s important to keep trying different things and allowing interests to become part of your life so that you know exactly who you are and are confident sharing and being that person.
Stories from lived experience give other people permission
Sharing yourself with others allows them to reciprocate and the more honest you are about yourself and your personal experiences, the more they may do likewise. A sort of conversational confessional, if you will.
When somebody tells the truth about fucking up, being in the wrong in some way, they are letting you know it’s OK to make mistakes and to share that about yourself as well. Not many things feel better than acceptance and forgiveness.
