Life as an Experiment

Most of us are afraid of failing. We learned that failure is shameful, and we should always win, otherwise, we are considered weak. Growing up with this mindset makes us miss a lot of opportunities that just the facing the unknown, and the possibility of failing can offer. Instead of this, choosing the most secure path looks like the right call to make.

But when you throw yourself into the experience and deal with new stuff as an experiment, you change your perception of failure. When you realize you can manage how you can try new stuff, you discover that there is no failure when there is learning!

Thomas A. Edison has a perfect quote that illustrates about how he used to face failure:

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

and It’s something Elon Musk accepts and embraces

“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”

So, I decided to share a little bit about how I run experiments in my life and what are the results of them. In a general way, I define what, and why I will try and how long the experiments will take. After that períod, I decide on the next step. Defining How long helps me to push myself when I have no willpower to keep going or when I want to give up. For example:

Experiment: Take a cold shower.
Why: It is supposed to bring a lot of benefits to your health and life.
How long: 1 month.

If the experiment delivers a good result, I can incorporate it into my life permanently. But when it doesn't work out, I just move on to the next experiment. And the point here is... Did I fail because I told would take cold showers and I'm not doing that anymore? No, I have not failed! I tried it for 1 month and I realized it does not work for me. Simple like that!

I'll share in the Life as an Experiment series, my journey about some stuff I already tried and how was that process through it.

Hope you like it!