Goals vs Experiments

There comes a time when we can’t get any more clarity by reflecting and we need to take action to move forward.
The challenge when it comes to taking action is that some people keep dreaming, thinking and overthinking. They’re overwhelmed with their big vision, dream or change and not sure how to get started. Others start taking action but get lost or stuck on the way. They can’t see the forrest for the trees anymore, feel disoriented, lose time and energy and are unsure how to move forward.

One option to stay on track is to create a roadmap, set goals and stay accountable to somebody. However goals have many downsides, such as that they can limit us, give us a tunnel view, feel like hard work or even worse when we don’t achieve them we blame ourselves and might even give up.

So, I propose a more playful approach to measuring our progress and learnings:
Let’s conduct experiments, as if we were scientists with hypothesis to be tested.

Here are a few examples of how this could look like:

• Emma has many ideas and dreams of having her own startup someday. So before she quits her job and goes all in, she designs an experiment to see whether entrepreneurship with all the risks and uncertainty is really for her. The experiment could be that she starts a side hustle, to test what it’s like to take initiative, create something and share it with others. Maybe she realises that she doesn’t like to work alone, or promote her own services. Then, she can adjust her priorities and look for a co-founder, a mastermind group or some marketing support.

• Anna dreams of becoming a coach and is looking at coaching certificates. Her hypothesis: I would like to be a coach and have my own coaching business.
  Before she quits her job and goes all in, she designs an experiment to see whether she actually likes to be a coach. However after the first few 1:1 coaching sessions she realises that she doesn’t have the patience to listen to other people’s problems, prefers to give advise and misses to have a team.

• Chiara dreams of being a group leader one day. Her hypothesis: I would like to lead a team. So before she signs up for an expensive leadership program and changes her job, she designs an experiment to see whether she actually likes to lead people. The experiment could be to volunteer to take over the leadership for a non-profit project. Maybe it turns out that Chiara doesn’t actually like the responsibility to make decisions and motivate others.

Experiments prevent us from going down a path that’s not the right one for us and losing time and energy. Experiments when evaluated properly lead to clear learnings, progress and ultimately to more clarity. The findings of your experiment inform your next steps.

A great way to keep exploring is to formulate a creative how might I question and add some of your own needs that you discovered as constraints.
For example: How might I live a creative life, given that I’m impatient and need community?

What were your hypothesis that you tested? What kind of experiments did you conduct?