Ep. 293 - AJ Jacobs: Why We Experiment (And Why You Should Also)

I like the idea of experimenting for two reasons. A) widen comfort zone B) become a better person.

I’ll tell you about A first then B.

But first, let me reintroduce my good friend AJ. If you listen to this podcast then you already know who AJ is. But just in case, AJ Jacob’s is a professional at experimenting. All his books are experiments. Four are bestsellers.

He told me about one he did with the comedian Jim Gaffigan. They looked up the oldest jokes in the world. From hundreds of years ago. And told them to live audiences today. Sometimes Jim bombed, some jokes he skipped (because a lot of jokes were about lettuce… lettuce used to be thought as an aphrodisiac), but others worked.

And he didn’t know what to expect.  

That’s A) widening your comfort zone.

So for this podcast, AJ and I came up with ideas to experiment with. And we want you to join us. You’ll hear what we’re testing right now. And what’s next. 

I found that if I do a new experiment a day or week, it becomes a micro step to creating a healthy life. For example, I told AJ that I try very heard not to say anything bad about anybody. And it’s hard because things come up throughout the day. But ultimately it makes me feel happier to not gossip. And I’ve been doing this now for about seven years. AJ tried it too. “It was fascinating,” he said, “because I realized 70% of my speech was trash talking and it made such a difference in my life when I cut that out because it made me more positive and happier.”

And it’s true. Because we all know that eating trash makes you feel like trash. And it’s true for your brain too. 

These are the nuances hidden in experimenting. You have a secret with yourself. A promise to uphold. And you live up to some unknown potential sometimes.

That’s B.