RUNNING LIFE EXPERIMENTS
❝Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is.❞ -Bob Ross
When was the last time you tried something new, even if success wasn’t guaranteed? Too often, we hold ourselves back because of one simple fear: failure. But what if we stopped framing bold actions as a win-or-lose situation? What if we saw them instead as life experiments—opportunities to test, learn, and grow? In this mindset, there’s no failure—only data.
THE FEAR OF FAILURE
Fear is a natural response. It alerts us to potential harm, but not all fears serve us equally. Fear of failure, for instance, often holds us back from opportunities that could lead to growth or fulfillment. Unlike tangible threats like heights or snakes, failure has no immediate danger. Instead, it taps into ancient wiring, where being “kicked out of the tribe” was once a life-or-death matter. In modern life, though, this fear is misplaced. In fact, learning to take more risks often leads to some of our greatest rewards.
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Resilience is the ability to bounce back (or grow) from stress and adversity. The ability to maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being in the face of setbacks. Learn more about how resilient you are. |
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LIFE EXPERIMENTS: TAKING SMALL STEPS
Reframing bold actions as life experiments shifts the focus from succeeding to learning. Every experiment is an opportunity to collect data, whether the outcome is what we hoped for or not. This approach turns “failure” into something valuable: insight for the next step.
Big endeavors can feel overwhelming—not just because we fear failure, but because we don’t even know where to start.
The key? Break the goal into smaller, manageable steps. Treat each one as its own experiment. Take the first step, observe what happens, and adjust your approach based on the results.
The more life experiments you run, the more lessons and experiences you gain—and the greater your chances of creating something extraordinary. Reframing your risks this way can unlock opportunities that fear might otherwise steal from you.
So, the next time you hesitate at a big challenge, don’t ask, “What if I fail?” Instead, ask, “What might I learn?” Go out on that limb. The fruit is waiting.
You get one life; live intentionally.
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REFERENCES AND INFLUENCES
Burkeman, Oliver: The Antidote
Gillihan, Seth: Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Hagen, Derek: Your Money, Your Values, and Your Life
Manson, Mark: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
Sivers, Derek: Hell Yeah or No
Sivers, Derek: How to Live
Wallace, David Foster: This is Water
