PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (LIKE FINE WINE, GET BETTER WITH TIME)

There is a special day in the lives of each and every one of us. This day comes around every year and some people choose to throw a big party to celebrate it, while others mark it more quietly. This day is the day we came into the world. This day is our birthday. This day signifies that we have grown OLDER, but there are questions that I feel we should ask. Have we grown any SMARTER? Have we grown any WISER? Have we become BETTER at handling the issues of life (work, relationships etc). Most people erroneously believe that with age comes wisdom. I absolutely believe this is not the case. With age comes experience as we are exposed to more situations and experiences with each passing day, but that is not enough to breed wisdom. It is the CONTINUAL LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCES (both ours and the experiences of others)  that births that entity known as WISDOM. Note that I said not only our own experiences but also the experiences of others as learning from one's own experiences is never enough. Why this assertion? Simply because different people go through different situations in life and the exposure to other people's experiences and the learning from them - coupled with the learning from yours- makes you a wiser, more rounded individual who is adequately armed to tackle virtually any situation and make better decisions.
There is a saying that I have heard numerous times: "It is not how far, but how well." This should be one of the key principles we live by if we intend to make a success of our lives. We should, MUST, never be happy with just marking time. We should not be okay with just growing older in age, and not in true wisdom (wisdom that leads to the attainment of goals and the bettering of your life and the lives of others around you). Wisdom, is the key ingredient for making headway in life.
The good thing is that an increase in wisdom - not that I did not say the attainment of wisdom as wisdom is a never-ending journey - begins with a step. And that step is basically the purposing in your mind to increase your level of wisdom. Next, you have to realise the importance of knowledge and develop an unquenchable appetite for it, given that wisdom is the constant, practical application of knowledge. You have to read more, listen more, and be open to acquiring knowledge from virtually every source. TO BE CONTINUED