I told you about my bucket list last week - well, I've been making good on my claims to work on it, and it has spurred some other interesting conclusions. Namely, I've found myself trying out new experiences more than ever before. Perhaps because there is an inherent joy in testing out all the great things you can do with your life, but I also believe that there is a bit of method to it.
A bucket list (or any sort of future-tense planning) puts you in the mindset that your life is plentiful, playful and ever-shifting depending on how you choose to live it. In essence, it makes your life an intentional experiment. You can choose what independent variables you want to manipulate to get a certain result in the dependent variable - which is, of course, always your own enjoyment or sense of self-reward.
But mindset gets you only half the way. From there, you have to put those thoughts into action. How? Well, that depends.
First, you must choose your method. Will you...
a. Check over your planning stage materials and try to make them happen right then and there.
b. Keep the ideas in the back of your mind and go out looking for experiences that are similar to what you're looking for.
c. Set up preparation periods every so often and make a second layer of planning out when you will complete each thing.
d. Wing it.
All of these options work for different people. I personally have chosen the second option, which leaves me open to experience tangential but amazing events and feelings. But the kernel of wisdom in each of these approaches is your intentionality in the process. Experiments are intentional and look to find a particular outcome - though your results may not turn out as expected, your input is integral. Find yourself some time to get down what you want to experience, and you will surely manifest it in some way just by thinking about it with greater intention than a fleeting thought of "oh, I would like to do that someday..."
Living life like an experiment is about seeking the experiences you want and manifesting them with your intention and drive. You are testing the different possibilities that life can offer you when you take the initiative to live in this way, and its up to you where that leads you. Choose wisely.
Check out some more of my life lessons. And see what antics I've been up to in my post: Life Lessons from a Busy Weekend.
