Treat Life Like An Experiment
What is the main job of scientists in our society? They carry out experiments, to find out out more about the world. The parameters of a fair experiment are very strict; you ask a testable question, form a hypothesis, identify the variables, perform the experiment, collect the data and then form a conclusion.
Most people in life, however, only do the performing of the experiment, without the necessary steps sandwiching it to be able to learn anything from their experiences; first, because they do not seek to test a hypothesis they may make in their life, nor do they collect data, or have a reflection period where they can conclude what the results are — or if it was actually a valid experiment at all.
Why would this process be beneficial to life, though? Well, scientists are responsible for almost all of the knowledge and understanding we have about the world because they have created experiments that allow seemingly complex things to be understood and learned from. There’s no reason that treating your life in the same way that scientists treat the undiscovered world in their field… your life is undiscovered too, until you study it properly. But how might you go about doing this?
First, you can identify a problem in your life and question it. It has to be a testable question: you can’t just ask “Can I be a billionaire in the next three years?”, or “Can I be an NBA all-star?”. Pick something that you can truly test yourself on. Let’s say that you are out of shape and you want to get fit. You can ask yourself, “Can I lose 15kg in the next two months?”. So you have a testable question. You might then research how you might go about this; exercise, diet, and other habits that might contribute such as sleep or alcohol consumption. You might figure out how to fit these into a hypothesis, for example: “If I exercise three times a week, eat within the parameters of this diet and drink no more than four units of alcohol per week, then I will lose 15kg in the next two months”. Now you have your hypothesis, and have set the controlled variables for your experiment. Then you go and do that, and you stick to the variables that you have set.
Two months roll by, and you collect your data. Now whether or not you lost that 15kg isn’t so important. What’s important is that you stuck to the variables and you collect the data. You reflect on the experience and conclude whether or not it worked for you.
It might seem awfully robotic on the surface, but there are simple things you can take from a scientific approach to life that are more easily implementable than you think. Setting short-term goals for yourself and how you will go about achieving them is just like making a hypothesis for an experiment. Setting controlled variables on a daily basis, for example a routine or schedule, is a great way to ensure that if things are going wrong in your life, you can identify why more easily. Having a mindfulness practice such as meditation — or more so, keeping a journal — can help you track the things that happen in your life and form conclusion about them, to reflect and be introspective in order to learn more. Another important things about scientific experiments is that they have to be repeatable. You can’t call it a successful experiment if the variables were broken.
There’s a reason that we love the classic rags-to-riches story in our culture. It’s like a scientific experiment where the variables are extremely controlled. You couldn’t possibly call it unfair or rigged when someone born with nothing achieves great success. This is why it’s so cringeworthy when you hear things like, “It’s not been easy for me… My father gave me small loan of a million dollars”. Who can replicate that experiment? Who is going to have that happen to them in a situation where the variables feel controlled? Nobody cares if someone’s life is an unrepeatable experiment.
The reason to live your life as if it were a series of experiments isn’t just for yourself, it’s to inspire the people around you. If they can see that you’ve done great things in a fair and controlled manner, then there’s hope for them.
