They say that experience is the best teacher. I agree, but would add that it's only the best teacher if we learn from the experiences we have. I hope that you will be able to relate to the seven lessons learned from experiences below and apply them to your own personal and business life.

There is nothing as fragile as a new idea. This applies not only to your own ideas, but to the ideas of others as well (spouse, children, friends, coworkers). New ideas need to be nourished. They are far too important to share with just anyone. The best people to share new ideas with are those whose opinion you value and who you trust completely. Ideally, the person you share your idea with would have had some personal experience and/or success with similar ideas, or with someone who provides you with unconditional support and encouragement.

People never argue with their own data.
Although this concept comes from adult learning theory, it has far reaching implications. If you have the choice between telling someone something or asking them to come up with their own conclusion or opinion, by all means ask. Self discovery is a powerful tool.

Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.
How we respond to change will determine whether or not we allow it to derail our efforts, stop us in our tracks, or open our eyes to more opportunities and the possibility for personal growth and reward. Each one of us faces this type of decision many times each day. Sometimes it’s a big change that we can’t miss, but most of the time, it’s one of a thousand little decisions that we make each day and each week, in response to a change, that will influence our future direction and decisions.

Ditch the parachute.
Don’t try to jump into a new endeavor or project with a parachute on your back. It will hamper your progress if not totally cause you to fail.

Don’t just make intellectual decisions.
They won’t serve you well. However, if you attach an emotional connection to an intellectual decision or what appears to be an intellectual decision, the odds of you will be able to achieve it multiply manifold. This is what having passion is all about.

Get your needs met at all cost.
First, you must identify what your needs are. Is you life as balanced as you would like it to be? Reflect upon the following key areas; Spiritual, Professional/Career/Business, Personal/Family/Romance/Friends, Physical/Health, Play/Recreation, Emotional, and Financial/Money. Are you walking around with unfulfilled desires? Next, create a plan of action to start doing those things that you need to do. Next, review and track your progress often and fine tune when necessary.

What follows is perhaps one of the most significant questions that you could ever ask of yourself. Here it is, “What are you now tolerating that you can no longer tolerate if you are to have any chance of achieving the goals you have set for yourself?”
Don’t stop at the first few tolerations that come to mind. The size of the toleration isn’t important. The fact that you are tolerating something is. Tolerations zap your energy and diffuse your focus from more important endeavors. By getting your needs met, you not only help yourself, but also, you put yourself in the position to be able to help and support others at a higher level.