Why Inexperience is a Good Thing

Most people reading this have likely said or been told the reasons experience is helpful. Among other things, experience offers the benefit of having done something before and understanding how the next trial will go. Experience helps in understanding what’s superficial and what really matters.

Experience is valuable.

Inexperience can be just as valuable.

Obviously, inexperience is valuable in different ways, and that is the first of its benefits. Inexperience is completely different from experience, so it’s not in competition with it. In fact, the two really can complement rather than compete with one another if given the chance.

Beyond the simple advantage of balancing out experience, inexperience has benefits all on its own. Even the wisest beings can often see the merit in looking at the world from a new perspective.

Inexperience enables a fresh, new energy that allows the traditionally impossible to happen. Possibilities and options need to be explored and evaluated. Inexperience may respond and engage with rather than react to new scenarios.

You don’t know what you can’t do. Since you’ve never tried before, almost anything could be an option. Nothing is discarded because it didn’t work last time if there is no last time. Being inexperienced requires the imagination work to find creative solutions to questions and situations.

Adaptation is possible. If something doesn’t work, you can try something different. Of course, the negative side to this is the risk of changing something that others have worked on and offending someone in the process. The hidden landmines of tradition can be a great threat to inexperience. Step on one, and the whole situation can blow up in your face. However, if the experienced help and allow an occasional misstep, change and adaptation to new contexts and situations can occur.

Everyone has inexperience in something. It may be an idea you’ve always wanted to try, an art or activity you’ve wanted to learn, or a role you’ve wanted to volunteer to fill. Let inexperience work for you even as you work with inexperience.