If a person who has not had enough exercise attempts to backpack, then he will find the going difficult. He might think, “I sweat, I get out of breath, I’m out of shape.” But he is wrong to think the tribulation is uniquely his. Everyone sweats; everyone pants for breath. The person who is in better shape will usually push himself to hike more quickly and bump into the same limitations. But when the fit person is stressed, he is less likely to attribute the difficulty to his shortcomings.
David Miller: AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
The advantage experience provides is not only that we get better with it, but that we know we can do it. “It” could be hiking 30 miles a day, writing and publishing a paper, persisting on little money for months, suffering through loss, camping in the snow, leading a team or being scared encountering a bear. Experience is less about gaining skills or strength or even specific knowledge except the knowledge that we can get through it. This is why teaching can never be a substitute for experience. This is what dad meant when he said that “it builds character“.
Nehaveigur 