Youth vs Experience

The small window where knowledge
and experience coexist, briefly

"Youth is wasted on the young.” -George Bernard Shaw. 

I have seen various interpretations on what Shaw meant by this, but what I have always found to be true is that when you are young you are blessed with energy, vitality, and strength. Unfortunately the young don't have the knowledge or experience we gain throughout our years and often times lack the wherewithal to successfully apply their youthfulness.

The unfortunate paradox can be put forward that experience is wasted on the aged. Once we finally gain the knowledge and experience we need; we no longer have the vitality to use it!

If you think about it we see this in sports, in business, and in all walks of life. Sure there are exceptions, but generally a young business man make mistakes that a more experienced one would not. A young athlete will not reach his full potential until several years into his league. We then see that same Business man hang on too long until his industry passes him by and that same athlete hang on too long until his body no longer responds. 

I contend that in sports, business, or any other aspect in life we have a small window of opportunity when we have both the youth and the experience we need to truly achieve great things.

I am hopeful and prayerful that right now as I look out on the many opportunities in life that I am in that window. I am confident that I have gained a degree of knowledge and experience to help guide my decisions I also hope that I still have the youth and vitality to still make those decisions!

I feel some signs of aging; there is grey in my hair and the body doesn't always heal like it used to, however with that hopefully has come some wisdom.

I still have some energy, and I feel I still love to accept a challenge; However hopefully I have gained the maturity to know which challenges to accept.

No sure how large my window is when I have access to both my youth and my experience and I am not sure how long it will be open. I know I will always continue to gaiin experience... but I know I can't hold on to my youth forever, but I can have fun trying, right?

 I want to leave this post with one more quote from Shaw:

“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

What are your thoughts?