The Joy of Experimentation
Last month, I explored the idea of how we can harness our inner force: that unique combination of energy, strengths, and motivation that shapes how we show up in the world.
This month, I find myself curious about something that can feel almost counterintuitive to that idea: giving ourselves permission to experiment.
After all, we're often told that we should know our WHY. We should know our strengths. We should have our story figured out and be able to tell it confidently.
But if I'm honest, most of life doesn't happen in that place of certainty.
Most of life happens somewhere in the messy middle.
Perhaps all we know is that the story we used to tell ourselves no longer fits quite as well as it once did. Or that something that used to energize us has somehow lost its spark. We sense that change is needed, yet we don't fully know what comes next.
So what do we do then?
What would we tell our best friend if they found themselves in that uncomfortable space between something that once fit and something new that has not yet revealed itself?
The freedom of experimentation
One thing I've always loved about travelling is the freedom it gives me to experiment.
When you're far away from your usual environment, something interesting happens.
Nobody knows you.
Nobody has expectations about how you usually behave.
Nobody has a predefined idea of what you're good at, what you're bad at, or what role you're supposed to play.
And suddenly, possibilities appear.
I remember realizing this years ago while travelling. I had always told myself a story that I found it difficult to start conversations with strangers. Small talk felt awkward. I worried I wouldn't know what to say.
And yet, when travelling, I found myself chatting to people all the time.
At bus stops.
In cafés.
On trains.
At museums.
I discovered that the fear lived mostly in my head.
The experiment revealed something that had been there all along.
And that realization led to an even bigger one:
I don't need to travel to another country in order to experiment with who I might become.
The fact that today is a new day can be reason enough.
Becoming through experimentation
Children understand this naturally.
They try.
They fail.
They adjust.
They try again.
Somewhere along the way, many of us begin to believe that we should already know. That uncertainty is a sign we're doing something wrong. That we should wait until we feel confident before taking action.
But what if confidence is not a prerequisite for experimentation?
What if experimentation is how confidence is built?
Most of the meaningful changes in my life didn't begin with certainty.
They began with curiosity.
With a question.
With a small step.
With a willingness to see what might happen.
Looking back, I realize that many of the things that have shaped me most started as experiments.
A conversation.
A trip.
A project.
A new role.
An idea.
None came with guarantees.
All came with learning.
What organizations can learn
Organizations often say they want innovation.
But innovation begins with experimentation.
And experimentation requires permission.
Permission to try.
Permission to not know.
Permission to make mistakes.
Permission to discover something unexpected.
Not only about a process or a product, but sometimes about ourselves.
The most innovative cultures aren't necessarily the ones with the smartest people.
They're often the ones where people feel safe enough to experiment.
Your experiment for this month
Take a moment to reflect:
✨ What belief about yourself have you never really tested?
✨ What if it were only a story?
✨ What small experiment could you run this month?
✨ What conversation, activity, project, or perspective have you been postponing until you feel "ready"?
Perhaps readiness isn't something that comes before action.
Perhaps readiness is something we discover through action.
A final thought
We often imagine becoming as something deliberate and carefully planned.
But perhaps becoming is not something we decide.
Perhaps it is something we discover through experimentation.
So this month, I invite you to become a little more curious.
To loosen your grip on certainty.
To give yourself permission to try.
Because new perspectives often lead to new experiences.
And sometimes, one small experiment is all it takes to discover a new version of yourself waiting to emerge.
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