Role of Personal Experiments đ§Ș
how experiments help in designing our lifestyle and the concept of Nullius in Verba
Hi
Welcome to another email of Silver Lining Sundays.
I hope youâre keeping well and enjoying your weekend.
This newsletter got revamped a few months back into a lifestyle design space because I was exhausted with the self-advice (taking and giving both). I am guilty of doing it, and I followed the hustle culture up to a level that burnt me out.
I was working 16-17 hours a day, my inner Elon Musk was proud of me, but I was losing the essence of life. Luckily, I got out of that lifestyle and learned about being a human than a working machine.
I stopped recording podcasts or posting regular videos because I didnât feel it. I now only do what I have the urge to, maybe itâs a phase, or maybe itâs something more. I have no idea tbh, but I am free and happy this way.
Talking about lifestyle design made more sense because itâs not the same for everyone. Itâs based on the life of a person and hence doesnât apply to all. Of course, there are the generic ones that apply to all, but that would be just a part of the lifestyle design.
You can dream about living like Tim Ferris and only do 4 hours of work every week, but whom are you kidding. That lifestyle doesnât work for most of us, and it didnât work even when I was self-employed in December and January.
So, how do you know how to design a life that is exclusively for you?
Letâs see what most people do.
A self-help book is written for millions of people. Would it address your specific problem?
Hiring a coach. Well, the coach may give you a roadmap and be a cheerleader, but he wonât know what youâre going through.
You can never be that honest to any other being. It covers your coach, your parents, and your spouse.
Whatâs left that you can do? đ€Ż
All of our stories are different; what helped me live better may turn out to be fatal for you. What is killing me may be a blessing for someone else. As our uniqueness, the solution to our problems is also unique.
How do we make sure weâre doing the right thing, or itâs the step we should take?Â
How do we know if weâre making the right direction?
We do what the marketing team does.Â
We run experiments.Â
Thereâs an Italian proverb Nullius in Verba, which means âon the word of no oneâ or âtake nobodyâs word for it. It gives you a chance to experience from first principles and not take advice or no for an answer.
Life is a journey of self-discovery. And youâll have to find your way out of it. People can help you, support you, but they canât take those steps for you.
I have been a firm believer in experimentation and experiencing things first hand instead of relying on the sources available to you. The worst is listening to people around you. For example
I grew up considering breakfast the most imp meal of the day; it was a crime in our house to live without eating breakfast. But then I experimented with my diet and found out my body works best when I follow 16/8Â intermittent fasting. We all have been primed about so many things, and we can only know if itâs true or not when we experiment with them with an open mind.
Itâs being a scientist about laboratory đ§Ș
âThe true method of knowledge is experiment.ââââWilliam Blake
This year I challenged myself to take 30 days of self-initiated experiments related to lifestyle design to learn about habits, human behavior, creativity, and, most importantly myself. In the upcoming emails, I will share those experiments and the observations.
Watch this space and try taking a challenge for yourself.
If you donât know where to start, check out this link. I led this community challenge 4 years back; it may give you some ideas. (donât go by the name đ) or wait till I share my 2021 list.
Last Weekâs Finds
Lesson of the week
Doing nothing is important to do something. (post hustle wisdom đ)
Currently reading
I am still reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Devouring it really slow.
Video of the week
Matthew Encina's bookshelf tour was amazing. His design and art books collection inspired me. This video also shows how creativity flows in all sorts of domains.
Quote of the Week
âThere are three principal means of acquiring knowledge⊠observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination.ââ ââDenis Diderot
Song of the Week
I couldnât really watch more than two episodes of Rick and Morty, but this song from the show struck me. Look at the beautiful lyrics.
I know you tried
I know you tried your best
And now it's time to put this all to rest
Minutes pass and those days seem long ago, oh-oh
A distant voice
One that I used to know
There's a voice and it's tryin' to drag me down, down
Creation of the Week
I wrote this piece about my 3 favorite booktube channels. If youâre into books and literature, youâd love it.
I will keep experimenting with this email to become better and more relevant. I appreciate your support and time. Feel free to share it if you enjoyed it.
Love and light
Shreya