Living a Life of Trial and Error, Error, Error

YOUR ENTIRE LIFE is an experiment. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you start to learn.

Scientists would call it an “n of one” — a study with a sample size of one. No control group. No peer review. Just you, testing hypotheses against your own life.

And the way you learn? As Buckminster Fuller put it: “By trial and error, error, error.”

Not trial and success. Not trial and immediate insight. Trial and error, error, error. The repetition matters. It’s how discovery actually works.

So here’s my challenge: Run five scary experiments this year. Not safe ones. Scary ones. Things that make your stomach tighten.

A few possibilities:

• A health experiment. Maybe it’s a ketogenic diet. Maybe it’s cold plunges. Maybe it’s finally getting serious about sleep.
• An independence experiment. M Go to a movie alone. Take a weekend trip solo. Or go bigger — hike Nepal for a month with nobody but yourself.
• A relationship experiment. M Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding. Ask for something you need. Tell someone what they actually mean to you.
• A work experiment. Find a project that pulls you so deep you forget what day it is. You lose track of time. You look up and it’s dark outside. That’s the sweet spot. That’s where real work lives.

Can you fail? Sure. You will more often than not. Everyone fails — until they succeed.

You are an n of one. The only failed experiment is the one you never run.

Here’s wishing you an incredible 2026.