Have You Been Experimenting Enough?

Curt Rosengren

If I could share only one word to help you turn your dreams into reality, it would be this:

Experiment!

Far too often, people limit themselves with the sense that they have to have it all figured out before they take any action. They need to feel certain that the outcome of whatever they try is going to be successful. The idea that whatever they do might not turn out holds them back and limits their potential.

[See why your weakness may be a strength.]

If you really want to expand your horizons, turn your life into a serial experiment. Have an idea? Try it out. If it’s an experiment, there is no such thing as a bad result. Either it works, or it doesn’t. Either way you have insight that you can put to use as you try another experiment. That’s a whole lot less pressure than, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll implode!”

I’m not suggesting that you should do a slapdash job of things because the outcome isn’t important. I’m just suggesting that you jettison the false sense that success in every single thing you do is uber-vital.

Ask yourself this: “Am I a brain surgeon?” If the answer is no, you just might have some leeway for less than perfect results.

You will always get farther faster by building on the insights from less than perfect results than not doing anything because there’s a risk that it won’t turn out.

Ralph Waldo Emerson summed it up nicely when he said, “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”

What experiments can you make?

After years as a professional alcontent, Curt Rosengren discovered the power of passion. As a speaker, author, and coach, Rosengren helps people create careers that energize and inspire them. His book 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work and his E-book The Occupational Adventure Guide offer people tools for turning dreams into reality. Rosengren's blog, The M.A.P. Maker, explores how to craft a life of meaning, abundance, and passion.