Yaser El-Waly on the Value of Learning From Experience

Experience Has a Way of Teaching
Some lessons are learned through experience only. They will come out when the individual gets involved in the situation, makes a decision, gets the results and reflects on them. Yaser El-Waly believes that one’s experience may become one of the best teachers of life for those who want to learn from it.
From the perspective of his understanding of the values of Islam, he realized that personal development is an ongoing process that includes both successes, failures, accountability and change.
Turning Mistakes Into Understanding
It is inevitable for humans to make mistakes. Yaser El-Waly thinks the more crucial aspect is how people handle such mistakes after they have been made.
A mistake can lead to feelings of remorse when someone chooses to avoid reflecting on it; however, it can also provide a chance to cultivate good judgment as one learns about oneself by examining one’s mistakes. He asks everyone not to let his/her past mistakes define him/her forever. Accepting that one has committed a mistake, admitting the same and trying to better one’s self can prove to be more beneficial than ignoring mistakes.
Experience Brings Perspective
As individuals progress through the various stages of their life, they begin to view their known experiences differently. What they viewed as highly relevant before now seems trivial in comparison, while at other times something that seemed irrelevant before suddenly becomes highly relevant.
Yaser El-Waly suggests that one of the reasons why people should be constantly learning during their lifetime is due to such changing perspectives. This concept also works within various Australian contexts, where professional experience in Melbourne, family experience in Sydney, or community experience in Perth can help people deal with future situations.
Listening to the Experiences of Others
Acquiring knowledge from experiences does not imply waiting to get involved in all kinds of situations. Yaser El-Waly thinks that the experiences of others can also teach an individual some valuable lessons.
The older generations in the family, teachers, guides, colleagues, and members of the community might have already gone through such situations which are new for the younger generation. This way, one would be able to understand the issues and make wise decisions. However, Yaser thinks that such advice must be taken critically. Every individual is different in his/her own way and experience serves as a guide.
Growth Requires Adaptation
According to Yaser El-Waly, one other thing that seems to keep on repeating itself through experience is the fact that things change. What works for one time in your life does not necessarily work in another phase in your life.
This may imply that there will be a need to learn a new skill or change his old perceptions about things or just view them from a different perspective. This proves the maturity of Yaser and not inconsistency. To him, experiencing and learning throughout life mean maintaining curiosity despite many years of experience.
Carrying Lessons Forward
The true value of experience is when it impacts the future actions. While keeping an experience in mind is the first step, using it is the one that brings changes. Just as Yaser El-Waly notes, you can derive crucial lessons from positive or negative experiences and yet not let any single experience define who you are. The past is indeed a valuable learning ground but it cannot dictate your future.
Finally, the outcome of getting experience for Yaser El-Waly is being capable of making better decisions and having enough humility to realize that there is always something to learn. Any stage of life can become a source of knowledge and an opportunity to learn something, which can be the best ground for improvement.