59.
The Person Who
Experiences Most Wins
Big idea: Why wait to get old to become experienced? I want the experience of an old man while I’m still
young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: Collapse the timeline. Most people don’t take that many
risks or have that many new conversations or read that many new books or take that many new travels. By
engaging in these and other experience – building pursuits at a dramatically accelerated rate, I figure I
could get 10 years’ worth of learning and lessons in a quarter of the time. Just collapse the timeline by
doing more important stuff faster and sooner. Just stay focused and committed. Just put more living into
each of my days.
We all get the same allotment of time. Each of us gets 24 hours each day. The sad fact is that too
many among us spend too much time doing unimportant things. Living reactive lives. Saying “yes” to
activities they should be saying “no” to. Drifting like a piece of wood in a river, moving in whatever direction
the current happens to be moving on that particular day. All because they did not make the time to think.
About their priorities. About their dreams and goals. And to note what they want to make of their lives.
People have lost 20 good years this way. Seriously.
By getting clear on what you want out of life, your heighten your awareness around what’s most
important. With better awareness comes better choices. And with better choices you’ll see better results.
Clarity breeds success.
So don’t wait until the end of your life to become experienced. Collapse the timeline. Get clear on
what you need to experience to have a fulfilling life – and then start doing it now. Meet cool people. Visit
neat places. Read deep books. Seize opportunities. Fail often – it reflects an increase in your reach and
risk taking. Who cares if you win or lose, so long as you get another experience to add to the inventory.
Even the saddest of times make your life richer. Benjamin Zander, the conductor of the Boston
Philharmonic, shared the following line from his teacher, the great cellist Gaspar Cassado, in his wonderful
book The Art of Possibility: “I’m so sorry for you; your lives have been so easy. You can’t play great music
unless your heart’s been broken.”
I want to experience of an old man while
I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way
To get it: Collapse the timeline.
The more experiences, the better the life. The person who experiences most wins.