About a month ago I went ice fishing, for the first time I might add. I went into it knowing that I would probably really like it but actually, I loved it – even though I didn’t catch anything. But it was a great experience and I was able to really take in the world that is ice fishing. As much as I loved it though, I gotta say that it was extremely nerve-racking sometimes.  Out there its really peaceful and beautiful until, all of a sudden you hear this eerie moaning and groaning as the huge sheets of ice fight each other for their space in the lake.  It’s not to bad when its out in the main body of the lake – far away from me. But many times throughout the day these giant cracks would sound off a huge groan right under my feet and as if the sound wasn’t enough, I could feel the ice shutter under my feet. Maybe, I’m a total wuss, or it’s because I fell through the ice on my snowmobile when I was younger but it kept scaring the crap out of me.

Through these events I had to keep reassuring myself of what I had learned about a frozen lake.  When you go out onto a lake that is frozen over, it should be at least 2 inch thick ice. This ice was about 9 inches, so we were completely fine. You have to keep in mind that the sounds of the ice raging throughout the valley are a sign that the ice is indeed safe. The sounds mean that the ice is thick enough and strong enough to hold us. So as I was thinking about this, it came to my mind that this is how life is.  In life we tend to want silence and a lack of shuttering but in all reality without it, what are we?! We are empty shells that can’t become anything! So we are put here with the intention of going through some stuff, stuff that can make our lives seem scary. These “loud cracks” and feelings that the earth below you is shuttering aren’t just random (or planned) acts of terror on our being.  These are necessary experiences for the human condition.  I have already talked about this, but I think it’s important to realize that without experience, in life, business or any other facit of our existence we having nothing usable to our overall growth and success. We can take in all the knowledge possible from all the different information vehicles available in the world today but that’s what it stays as, information. Knowledge by itself is almost worthless! But when we turn our knowledge into intelligence and then wisdom we can become the elevated being that we consider to be a success. Wisdom comes from applying our knowledge, taking action and dealing with the cracks and interruptions along the way. All while making those distractions the foundation for our wisdom. Growing with our mistakes and learning from them. Because after that, something beautiful happens. Keep in mind though that dwelling on our mistakes, is a mistake in itself. Remember the lesson you learned from the experience, not your misdoing.

So the cracks are here to stay and if you can learn to deal with them then you get the fish.

The only source of knowledge is experience!

~Albert Einstein