Embracing an Experimenter's Mindset

The art and science of finding out.

Many of my clients come to me with something to “figure out.”

Most of them feel overwhelmed. Stuck.

Some have been trying to figure it out for years.

Then I invite them to discover a new way. We enter into a process that is quite different.

This is the process of finding out.

This is the process of self-discovery.

See, there’s a profound difference between finding out and figuring out.

Finding out is experiential, while figuring out is mental.

Finding out happens through living. Figuring out happens through thinking.

The richest experiences and the deepest lessons happen not through thinking, but through living. Through engaging with life itself. Living, learning, and pivoting along the way.

Consider any adventure movie or, perhaps, any movie at all. The characters decide on a path, a journey, a course of action. Then they take it. It doesn’t go smoothly (if it did, we wouldn’t like the movie). Things come up. Obstacles arise. Shit happens. New discoveries emerge. And then these characters adjust. And it’s through this process that they learn, grow, prevail, emerge a new version of themselves.

In other words, these characters in these stories don’t just sit around thinking about what to do (another movie we’d turn off). They find out.

Now, finding out is not careless or reckless. It doesn’t mean blindly or aimlessly rushing into some sort of decision or action. Rather, it involves making an educated guess—an informed decision—and then seeing what happens.

Simple, I know. But a mind preoccupied with the prediction, detection and avoidance of threat can often have a hard time with this whole not knowing thing.

Let’s help it out.

There is an approach to this process of change and self-discovery. It’s an approach I invite many of my clients to take.

It’s called the experimenter’s mindset.

The Experimenter’s Mindset

An experimenter's mindset is an antidote to the fixed, forced approach to change that many people adopt.

Many individuals seeking coaching find themselves overwhelmed by options and unsure of the right path to take. This is common today, where the abundance of choices can paralyze decision-making. The paradox of choice and all.

Conversely, the experimenter’s mindset is adaptable, flexible, and resilient. It provides a lighter, more enjoyable way to live.

Starting with a Hypothesis

An experiment begins with a hypothesis—an educated guess about what might happen if you try something.

In this case, you’d align the “what might happen” with your desired outcome. You’d align “try something” with some course of action.

The key word is here is “educated.” So if you’re desire is to increase cardiovascular health, you wouldn’t make the hypothesis that being as inactive as possible would help. That wouldn’t be informed by any valid reasoning, as far as I know.

So, you gather the knowledge required to make a hypothesis—which you likely already have—and then you make it.

This approach begins to foster a sense of objectivity.

Sure, you are the experiment’s start participant, but you’re also the experimenter. You’re conducting the experiment, which, in this case, means you’re simply trying something out.

There’s no attachment to the outcome.

There’s a spirit of “We’ll see.”

This mindset is about curiosity and openness, not rigid expectations.

Testing the Hypothesis

Next comes the experiment itself, where you test the hypothesis.

In life, this means engaging in experiences and seeing what happens.

This is different from trying to figure everything out in your mind. While mental processes might kick-start the journey, the real task is to find out through experience.

Remember, finding out is experiential, figuring out is mental. The former comes from living, the latter from thinking.

That’s where the testing happens. The testing is the finding out.

This is where your intention becomes manifest in physical form through the changes you commit to.

You can’t fail this test. There’s no right or wrong. There’s either things that happen or things that don’t.

A brief note on the value of experience: You can’t steer a parked car. It’s easier to adjust when in motion. By engaging with the world, you gather data from your lived experiences. This approach fosters growth and adaptability, opening you to the unpredictability and richness of real-world scenarios. There is a flow of energy here, one that helps us step into the unknown— the truth of life. Pure possibility.

Interpreting the Results

After conducting your experiment, you get results.

Results are data. Results are feedback. That’s all.

No emotional attachment. No judgment. Simply data from what your experience has shown you.

Your hypothesis might be true, false, or partially true (some aspects aligned with the educated guess).

Not right or wrong. True or false.

There’s a difference. Right and wrong is the language of judgment. True or false is the language of observation— whether or not something is in accordance with the actual state of affairs.

Similar to any experiment, there is value in the hypothesis being either true or false. Regardless of the outcome, you gain valuable insights. There is something to be learned either way.

The results show you what’s working (contributing to the outcome you want) or what’s not working (not contributing to the outcome you want) so you can iterate, pivot, or simply continue.

What’s next? Another hypothesis.

A Dynamic Process of Continuous Growth

This approach is dynamic, not static. It’s not about reaching a fixed destination but developing a mindset of continuous experimentation— gathering experience and finding out.

Your experience is your evidence.

This process is effective and individualized, leading to a lifestyle that’s flexible, adaptive, and uniquely your own.

That lifestyle is not a destination. It’s a way of living promotes continuous growth through curiosity, learning, and trying.

The result? A reality that’s in alignment with your truth — your highest intentions for this human experience.

By adopting an experimenter’s mindset, you open yourself to the richness of life, learning through living rather than merely thinking.

Let life reveal itself through the unparalleled power of experience.

Author’s Note

Will the experimenter’s mindset work for you?

Who am I to say?

Find out for yourself.