Life as Experiments & My New Experiment
What's possible when you look at life as a series of experiments?
I was recently listening to a podcast episode with Tim Ferriss interviewing Seth Godin. Near the end of the episode, Seth said a line that really blew me away:
"my whole point of view is that life is projects — it is not a job.”
Wow. Such a simple but profound statement.
What rings even more true for me is that life is a series of experiments.
I find this an incredibly liberating mindset to have. It can apply to every part of life. Take my career domain for example. Instead of constantly seeking to find “the one perfect career,” it’s breathing a big fat exhale to realize my “career” may be comprised of 10 very different “experiments”/ roles. That I can give myself permission to constantly re-invent and re-birth myself. Instead of putting self-induced pressure to have to perfectly niche my coaching practice (which I felt heavily when I first started years ago), I can more ease-fully experiment and see what it feels like to be in the role of facilitating management leadership trainings, team-building experiences, one-off workshops on mental health topics, intuitive art-making experiences, play-focused group coaching, in-person retreats, and coaching 1:1 private clients. Heck, I was even experimenting with teaching yoga at one point. There’s nothing to “figure out” and “have to get right.” One’s career is not linear. Life isn’t linear.
Starting this Substack is my new big life experiment. I’ve felt a strong desire for years to pick up where I left off with my 2020 “Heart Smiles” Newsletter Project. I’m motivated to help people feel more magic in their lives. Because come on people, there is SO much magic in the every day. I want to help people tap into their innate creativity and access their powers from awakening their creative intelligence. Anyone who has ever had any deeper knowledge of Astrology and has seen my chart has basically re-affirmed my feelings and desire for this specific Substack manifestation. So here we are. I’m finally doing the thing! I’m excited to translate my feelings in magical moments into something that is practical and accessible. While I love the woo, I also have 5 major planets in Capricorn and am a Virgo rising so being a practical Earthling is basically my middle name. I have no idea how long I’ll keep this up, hope to post weekly-ish, might occassionally includes some art, and the jury is out on whether or not I’ll ever find a real flow and ease in this process. But my bright-eyed bushy-tailed silver-lining enthusiast part really hopes so.
I believe that underneath a good experiment are the questions its asking. In scientific experiments, they call this the hypothesis. I see it as the deepest wondering or curiosity that is driving you to run the experiment in the first place: “What question(s) am I curious about answering for myself in my life right now? This makes the focus and success of the experiment have nothing to do with perfection/“getting it right” and everything to do with getting more clarity on the question(s) you want to answer. Liberating, right?
My big questions for this Substack experiment are:
Do I feel more fully creatively expressed posting regularly to this Substack?
Benchmark: Currently at a 7/ 10 feeling creatively expressed pre-Substack
What most energizes and de-energizes me from having this Substack?
What creative & writing practices and cadence make this Substack experience the most easeful, fun, and enjoyable for me?
What magic will come from creating and pouring my devotion into this?
The trick with coming up with questions for experiments is discerning if the question is truly helpful for your soul or if it’s coming from your ego/fear. Ego questions with this experiment might sound like some version of:
Do people like what I’m writing?
Is my writing good enough or adding enough value to the world?
Are these types of post going to go viral?
What’s the future ROI from starting this Substack?
Soul questions might sound more like:
What are the impacts of my writing on others?
Am I sharing posts that I’m genuinely 9+/10 excited and proud of?
Am I sharing posts that are in integrity and authentic to my lived experiences?
What unexpected connections and opportunities may emerge from sharing my writing?
Perhaps I’ll share my experiment findings to my main questions in a month or so. Or not. Who knows. At this point, I’m just stoked the experiment has now officially started. Hooray! Thank you for being on this journey with me. I’ll leave you with my favorite poem from Rainer Maria Rilke. Cheers to living into the questions of all our various life experiments.
“…try to love the questions themselves” — ooof! This hit me right in the heart. 🤍 So happy you’ve launched this beautiful Substack and so excited to read your pieces and enjoy your art. x
Oh my gosh, I feel the magic already! That picture nails it. And I love the Rilke notion, living the questions underneath it all. 🙏