Experience

An old story talks of a cat that, having got burnt by sitting on a hot stove, refused to ever sit again.  Past experiences are useful for the things they teach you, but they can become negative if you use them as a reference point for your present actions. When you do so, in fact, you give up the opportunity to try something new, to live creatively. The cat of the story should have learned that a hot stove can be dangerous if you sit on it. But not every stove is dangerous (it may not be hot), and the act of sitting can make you comfortable. Every experience should be therefore considered for its deep meaning and not judged from its superficial appearance.