Life is an Experiment
We get to experiment with who we are and what we do. When we lean into that, we can profoundly shift our work, relationships, and overall quality of life.
I’ve got great news! Life is one grand experiment.
We get to experiment with who we are and what we do. When we lean into that, we can profoundly shift our work, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Regardless of your title or role, know this: your inner authority will never steer you wrong–and I’m not talking about following your heart or chasing passion.
I’m talking about peeling back layers of societal, familial, and cultural conditioning. I’m talking about mining what is underneath and wants to come through you: a creative venture, a new business, a home move, a relationship change. These are the decisions that we get to make. They either reinforce who we are, or they reinforce who we are not, but we always have a choice.
So if life is an experiment, how do we make sure we’re running the right experiments?
Answering the Calls
We answer the inner calls, big or small. To Be Magnetic (TBM) calls these “Pings,” hits of intuition that guide us to do something as minor as taking a new route home from work, to as major as moving states or countries. Some might call major pings a “Call to Adventure,” à la Joseph Campbell.
For such a cute name, these “ping” things can be terrifying. Who wants to launch a new, unpredictable venture, when you’ve already got a successful, reliable business or job? Who wants to up and leave a place you love with everyone you love and know for somewhere you’ve never been before, where you know no one? Who wants to take the new route home when it’s going to put another 15 minutes between you and your couch after a taxing day?
Resistance
Just like pings come up in big and small ways, so too does resistance. There’s the micro-resistance to doing new things because of the unknown or inconvenience. But then there’s macro-resistance: the low-grade resistance that arises from not acting on a Call, over and over again.
A dial tone of resistance to our pings hampers who we truly are and how we express ourselves in the world. It takes us further away from the version of our lives where we get to have our cake (the job, the house, the partner, etc.) and eat it too (the security, the fulfillment, the trust, etc.).
By now, you’ve probably heard: not making a decision is a decision. You can’t know all the repercussions of inaction (though AI can generate hypotheticals, if you want to play with that), but we do know that continued resistance could mean delaying–or altogether missing–what’s behind the door of a Call: maybe meeting a key person, finding aligned work, or–worst of all, in my opinion–never feeling sure of yourself.
But remember, life is an experiment. It’s also a game. We get to choose what we want to play and for how long we want to play it.
Reframes & Tools
We’ve covered general mindset matters, so now let’s talk specific reframes and practical tools. These have consistently provided value to me over the last decade, and now I’m recommending them to you–particularly to those of you this article has resonated with so far. They’ve helped me shift from focusing solely on external forms of security and satisfaction to sourcing both internally. I hope they help you do the same.
1. View decisions as 3- to 6-month experiments.
I learned this from Tim Ferriss (TF) at 19. This simple mindset shift has inspired quasi-nomadic travels, career risks, new hobbies, and so much more.
If you’re someone who struggles with finishing projects, try committing to 1 to 3 months. Or, try committing to a count. For example, if you’re podcasting, writing, or becoming a runner, then try 10 episodes, 6 articles, or a 4-week training program.
2. Practice Fear-Setting.
Another goody from TF: Fear-Setting. If reading this article surfaced pings and they scare you shitless, great! You’re likely on the right track. Practice this exercise to roadmap a plan of action and contingency plans. It’s a reminder that most things are fixable or reversible, though your reptilian brain tries to convince you otherwise.
3. Ask “What would this look like if it were easy?”
Compound the value of Fear-Setting with another TF reframe by asking “What would this look like if it were easy?”
When doing something new, we’re not going to know how to do it. It’s simple logic, guys. And yet, overwhelm gets the best of us. Perfectionism leads to procrastination.
Put all of that aside. Consider this your permission to take the easy path, knowing you can and will iterate throughout the term of the experiment.
4. Invest in something that helps you get clear.
Knowing your values and where you’re aiming provides significant ROI.
I’ve been a massive fan and proponent of To Be Magnetic for the past 7 years (and counting). It’s a protocol that merges subconscious reprogramming (unblocking), strategic inspiration (expansion), and aligned action to create the life we want. I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have moved to different states alone, quit my corporate job without a backup, become a fractional Chief of Staff, built fulfilling relationships, or even posted this article without it.
Most importantly, it’s enabled me to double down on my essence–that is, what drives me–and what I bring to the world, even if I don’t always fully know how to direct that energy or where my efforts are leading. It’s helped me feel confident in, even excited by, not knowing.
Your thing doesn’t have to be TBM. Parts work, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), biofeedback, journaling, and other tools and resources may resonate more with you. We’re in a time rich with options for deconditioning and healing. Take your pick(s), commit to the journey of refining yourself, iterate, and of course, don’t hesitate to pivot if something doesn’t work after a solid effort. Such is the game of life.
If you do these things, life–and likely other people!–will indirectly and directly communicate that you’re doing something wrong or that you should do something else. This is another kind of resistance: discomfort from pushing your growth edge. The pain only magnifies with distractions in the form of emotional triggers and unaligned opportunities. This is normal. This is the “good” kind of resistance. These distractions are tests of our will to continue pursuing a Call.
My advice: put your ego aside. Navigate as best you can by tapping into your inner authority (which only gets stronger the more often you follow pings or Calls). Humbly make mistakes, practice self-compassion, and trust that gradual shifts will build into monumental ones.
Remember, it’s all an experiment-game in which the only things that matter are doing, learning, and adjusting. Stay in motion, stay curious, and trust that every step–even the missteps–is taking you in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing some wisdom 👏🏽