Over the years there’s a lot I have learned
I’ve made plenty of mistakes, I’ve been totally burned
There’s been good advice I’ve unjustly spurned
Which led me to lessons I finally discerned
Don’t believe anyone who tells you they know
What you should be doing or where you should go
Find your own path your own pace in the flow
Practice what you love until you are a pro
Make your own decisions and accept the outcomes
Live with your choices, to the beat of your drum
The lessons you learn will be greater than the sum
Of the benefits from advice you might get from your chums
Don’t believe anyone, even if you agree
Try things for yourself, until you really see
Most important of all, you mustn’t believe me
The best learning happens experientially
Even when you think you’ve gotten good advice
There’s a good chance you’ll find your ass in a vice
Sometimes you just have to roll the dice
Because you are the one who’ll be paying the price
You can learn some good stuff vicariously
By all means take in what you hear and see
Other peoples mistakes are tuition free
And this kind of learning can help you foresee
But still it’s experience that carries the day
It’s what helps you discern the many shades of gray
The conviction you carry when you decide to say
This is what happened when I did it that way
It’s what helps you understand nuance and degree
It’s what ultimately determines your reality
Gradually it guides you past all the debris
As you experience becoming who you will be
But categorically don’t believe a thing I have said
You don’t really know anything until you have bled
Get your experience, invest what you must
That’s the only thing you can ever really trust
