There are many times in life where you will feel like there’s an incredible pressure to get things right.
Oftentimes, a task, no matter how small, can turn into a gargantuan impossibility in your head because of many reasons: pressure from people that you know, pressure from people you’ve seen online, or worse, pressure you’ve placed on yourself. However, what if you decided to live life as an experiment?
I want to talk to you today about another possible way of living your life: by learning and growing. I’ll elaborate on handling times where you might feel that the pressure’s on and how you can turn them into situations where you aren’t under any pressure – and how they can be most beneficial to you.
Life As An Experiment
Everyone has their own unique perspective on life, and they wield it when facing situations and everyday circumstances. Everyone will react (and more importantly respond) differently to the exact same situation, therefore creating the possibility of wildly different outcomes.
How can you cultivate the right mindset that can allow you to be open to change and handle stressful situations?
Let’s consider scientists for a moment. Scientists rely heavily on the scientific method: they have an idea which they turn into a hypothesis, and then they perform experiments to test their hypothesis. Their results will either confirm the hypothesis or disprove it. Whatever the outcome, the scientists will record their findings, and these findings will go on to be useful.
Some uses are: informing future hypotheses, informing future and current research, and contributing to current knowledge. There aren’t any truly negative outcomes.
What if you could live your life like this?
What if you could approach situations in your life like a scientist does with their experiments?
What Needs to Change?
Your mind is your most powerful weapon. As with all weapons, you can hurt yourself if you’re not careful. One of the most impactful ways that you can begin to live your life as an experiment isn’t actually to let go of your expectations, but to stop letting them have power over you. Now, believe me, I know how hard that is.
A beautiful part of the human experience is to attach sentiment to our expectations and hopes, but like scientists, you shouldn’t let your hypothesis dictate the whole experiment. Your expectations can help you plan your approach as a hypothesis guides an experiment, but once you let them become the be-all-end-all, then you may very well sway the outcome negatively rather than positively.
Rather than focusing on learning and growing, you might instead be beating yourself up and missing the point. Your leadership will take a hit, too. Those who look to you for guidance will also carry that negative energy with them and team communication will suffer as well.
How Can You Live Life as an Experiment?
Every little facet of your life is a part of one big, lifelong experiment. When trying to make a living, passing an exam, or choosing a new food to try, all of it is just a part of your overarching experiment of trying to have a good life.
Perhaps you’re already trying as hard as you can to live in an optimal way, a way in which you can get the best possible outcome. You just need to change your mindset. Fearing future outcomes gives them power over you. When you turn situations in life into experiments and truly accept that their outcomes are unpredictable, then you can be wholly detached from the emotional toll of the results.
When the outcome is one you didn’t hope for, it gives you invaluable experience for similar future experiments. When the outcome is one you did hope for, you’ll know how to replicate it in the future, and add that to your bank of knowledge. Isn’t that wonderful!
What To Expect From Living Life as an Experiment
One of my favorite things about approaching life like this is that you’ll constantly be learning and growing. You can expect an abundance of inner peace if you can take wanted and unwanted outcomes in your stride and treat both with equal welcomeness.
You’ll be able to understand yourself and what you really want better, as well as find what suits you. You can explore wild ideas and the results that they produce without fear of ‘failure,’ because that word no longer exists to you. You can identify patterns and trends in your environment and surroundings, and you can design your life to suit you.
Above all, you’ll enjoy living because you aren’t pressuring yourself to be perfect.
In the same vein, your leadership and team communication will benefit, too. You and your team can click better because negative emotions aren’t hindering team communication as often. You can enjoy better relationships with them because you understand them, and you can uncover their talents and the strategies that suit your team most. I’m always here if you want to reach out for guidance or some help with any part of your journey. I’m happy to coach you and help you create an action plan for living your best and most fulfilling life!