One of the great benefits of getting older is experience.
We have been around the block a few times. We have travelled, bought houses, driven across the country, renewed passports, gone through airports, booked hotels and crossed borders. We have learned how things work.
And that experience is valuable.
But there is a trap hiding inside it.
We can begin to think, “I’ve done this before. I know how it works.”
That may have been true six months ago.
It may not be true today.
Travel is a perfect example.
You might have flown to Florida last winter. You arrived at the airport, checked your bags, went through security and boarded the plane without a problem. So, when you plan the same trip this year, you might assume you know exactly what to do.
But airports change. Airlines change. Security procedures change. Baggage rules change. Flights are cancelled or moved. Check-in procedures change. Technology changes. Entry requirements change. Borders change.
Even the neighbourhood where you are staying may have changed.
The restaurant you loved might be gone. The hotel may have changed ownership. The bus route may have changed. That little grocery store around the corner may have closed.
Your memory says, “I know this place.”
Reality may be saying, “Welcome back. Things have changed.”
And sometimes technology has a particularly nasty way of reminding us of this lesson.
I am experiencing that lesson right now.
My cell phone isn't working properly, and the solution may be to do a factory reset. If that happens, the phone will essentially be returned to the way it was when I first bought it. That means losing the information and data currently stored on it unless I can restore it from a backup.
I have spent years telling people, “Back up your important information.”
And to be fair, I do back up my information.
The problem?
The last time I backed up my phone to the cloud was about a month before the phone crashed.
Now I'm kicking myself.
Why didn't I back it up last week? Why didn't I do it yesterday? Why did I assume that because I had backed it up before, I was covered?
I wasn't.
The phone has given me a very personal reminder that doing something before isn't the same as doing it recently.
We learn from experience. Sometimes, unfortunately, we learn by making the mistake ourselves.
This isn't just about travel or cell phones.
Think about banking.
A few years ago, you might have walked into your bank, spoken to a teller and taken care of your business. Today, you may be encouraged to use an app, an ATM or an online service. The process has changed.
Think about health care.
The doctor, clinic or pharmacy you have used for years may have changed its procedures. Appointments may now be booked online. Forms may have to be completed electronically. New rules may have been introduced.
Think about driving.
A road you have driven for 20 years may now have a new traffic pattern, construction, a roundabout or a different speed limit.
There is a tendency as we get older to say, “I've been doing this all my life.”
And we have.
That's something to be proud of.
But the world doesn't stop changing simply because we have accumulated a lifetime of experience.
The trick isn't to throw away what we have learned. The trick is to combine experience with curiosity.
Your experience gives you a head start.
Curiosity keeps you from being left behind.
Before travelling, check the airline's current baggage and check-in requirements. Check your passport and entry requirements. Confirm your hotel reservation. Don't rely solely on what you remember from your last trip.
Before doing something, you haven't done for a while, ask a simple question:
“What has changed since the last time I did this?”
That one question can save you a lot of frustration.
It can save you money.
And, in some situations, it can keep you safe.
It can also save you from standing in an airport looking at a sign and wondering when they changed the rules!
So, the next time you are about to do something you have done many times before, pause for a moment.
Don't just ask, “How did I do this last time?”
Ask, “What's different this time?”
And perhaps add one more question, especially when technology is involved:
“When was the last time I backed this up?”
I know what I'm going to do when I get my phone working again.
I'm going to back it up.
And then I'm going to try very hard not to wait another month.
Because getting older gives us something very valuable: experience.
But staying curious makes sure that experience remains useful.
The goal isn't to know everything.
The goal is to keep learning enough to confidently find our way through whatever comes next.
