Disclaimer: Being a mere eighteen years of age, I am perhaps not the most qualified person to be writing this. Further disclaimer: I’m not a very good writer. Proceed with caution.

I know I was supposed to post my iLife ’09 review today, but as I was walking home from work, this seemed like a much better post. The iLife review is coming, just not today.

I was chatting with a friend online, playing the “I’ve Never” game and generally shooting the breeze. In doing so, I discovered that, despite not having led a crazy childhood, or a wild series of teenage years, I have actually done a lot of interesting things. I’ve climbed a mountain, gone rock climbing, randomly explored the corporate sector of downtown Calgary and chased down exotic car meets to chat with the owners. It’s not much, but it builds something I’ll call “experience equity.” If Gary Vaynerchuk can lay claim to the legacy > currency thing, I’ll throw in my vote for experience equity.

Experience equity is the value of all of your significant and insignificant life experiences. It is that collective value that is greater than any currency in the world. To sum it up, it is doing things for the sake of doing things.

Next time you have a day off, promise me you’ll go and do something you haven’t done before. Those train journeys? They’re never really planned in advance. I typically try to spend any day I have off to go and do something, anything. We only play this game once, and I think that trying to cram as much stuff into it is a wise move. Every single person (with the means, of course) should have a savings account for random occasions. I have one. I don’t dip into it for day-to-day purchases, for big purchases, or for schooling. It’s exclusively for what many deem a rainy day. For me, it’s usually a sunny day. At any rate, it’s a great way to build experience equity. 

For example, being a native Calgarian, there is virtually no legitimate reason to pay twelve dollars to visit the observation deck of the Calgary Tower. But it’s a nice thing to do, and it builds experience equity. Likewise, there’s no reason to pay $2.50 to visit the south end of the city via public transit and to film it. However, I saw things that I hadn’t before. I saw kids enjoying a bright, sunny day sledding. I saw people taking dogs for a walk, and others cycling. In January, in Calgary. Said individually, it sounds like I’m simply easily amused. But I can guarantee that it was a truly fantastic experience. Perhaps it wasn’t life-changing, but it was interesting.

I enjoy doing things because I can. Because doing things makes me feel like a better person. Because nobody can be an interesting person without the experiences to back it up. Hustle. Go rock climbing, just for a few hours. Drive to a nearby small town and have lunch at a local café. Go to bed early and wake up ultra-early to watch the sun rise in a deserted place (and bring a camera). While you’re at it, bring a friend, too.

Always remember: no matter how clichéd it is, quality is greater than quantity. I would rather die at 50 but have been constantly hustling and doing things, than dying at 100 and having no experience equity.