Ampersand Answers: Experiment

Live your life as an experiment.

Buddhist nun and author, Pema Chodron 

The Question: 

How can I make sure I experiment?  

&mpersand Answers:  

Pema is known for giving sound advice, and I liked this one particularly because when it comes right down to it, living life really is an experiment. 

The word comes from Latin roots meaning to try.  

That’s what we do in life, isn’t it? We try things, discern whether we like them or are good at them, and then dig in if we are, or opt out if we aren’t. Simple. 

So why is it that so many of us live in such fear? That life will pass us by, that we don’t have enough fill-in-the-blank (time, money, love,) that so-and-so got there before me so now I can’t. On and on and on. 

Here’s the key: when you live your life as an experiment, your focus is in the right place, namely, on you, and your experiment. 

The fear comes when we lose our proper focus, and instead fall into comparison, or what-ifs, or any number of pitfalls.  

To live your life as an experiment, pay attention to your living and your life. It doesn’t really matter whatever you are trying on for size. Keep experimenting. You’ll, without question, learn something about yourself, and then you’ll make another choice, another experiment. 

Experimentation is one of the ways in which we thrive. 

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