Chapter Content
Okay, so, um, let's talk about turning doubts into experiments, right? It sounds kind of intimidating, but it's really about making small, manageable changes, you know?
So, there was this guy, Alexander Kallaway, right? He was just a regular dude, high school student, quiet life. But he was like, "Man, there's gotta be more out there." He wondered about different cultures, new skills, you know, broadening his horizons. So he went to school in Japan, then Canada, got into digital marketing. Things were good, but he felt like he was missing something, like a key skill to collaborate with developers—coding!
He didn't have the money for another degree, so he decided to teach himself using free online resources. But staying motivated? That was tough! You know, Toronto's a pretty fun city, lots to do. Plus, the lure of Netflix... We've all been there, right?
So, he created an accountability group. He just committed to showing up at coffee shops to study, but it grew super fast! It became one of the biggest developer communities in Canada. And get this, he actually landed a developer job!
At that point, he could've just chilled, right? Good job, good money, interesting people. But he felt like he was stagnating. That's when he came up with this idea: a public oath! He decided to code for at least an hour every day for 100 days.
He called it the #100DaysOfCode challenge. It was like a promise to himself, a commitment device to keep him coding even when he really just wanted to binge-watch something. It kept him excited, and he ended up learning a ton and connecting with a whole community. It's pretty cool.
By the end, he wasn't just a better coder, he'd inspired tons of other people. Now he's at the center of this global community, all learning and growing together. So, how can we do that, too? How can we turn our own lives into like, a giant experiment, where doubts actually become inspiration?
Well, it all starts with this thing called a pact. It's basically an actionable commitment you make to yourself for a set amount of time.
A pact is, you know, a simple, repeatable thing that moves you towards your goals, no matter what happens along the way. It’s basically "I will [action] for [duration]." Super simple, right?
It’s like, the fundamental piece of experimenting on yourself. It's an invitation to try something new, learn from it, and break out of your routine.
What's so cool about a pact is that it focuses on what you *do*, not the outcome. Like, "publish 25 newsletters," instead of "get 5,000 subscribers." It makes it less scary to start, because there's no wrong answer. You just have to show up.
So, a good pact is...
First, purposeful. It should feel exciting and meaningful, even if you don't know where it's going. It makes learning fun.
Second, actionable. It needs to be something you can actually do, with the resources you have right now. No overplanning, just action.
Third, continuous. It has to be simple and repeatable, so you can collect consistent data. Like, something you do every day, or every week.
And finally, trackable. But not necessarily measurable. Don't focus on the numbers. Just make sure you can answer "Did I do it, yes or no?" It's easy to track that way.
So, compared to just setting regular goals, a pact helps you to be open, curious, and willing to learn. You know, it gives you a scientist-like view when you're trying something out. Any curiosity or uncertainty can be turned into a pact. It can be exploring a new hobby, learning a new skill, figuring out a career path, or even trying a new routine. Easy pacts, like two weeks of daily stretching, or something bigger, like creating a digital illustration every week for three months.
A pact solves this problem of forcing motivation by making the focus about *doing* rather than planning.
So instead of "I will learn how to code," make it "I will code every day for a hundred days." Instead of "I will write a book," try "I will write every weekday for the next six months." You see how that works?
It gives you a simple way to commit to action, so you're relying on momentum, not motivation. Get started, and trust that you'll build confidence as you go.
Okay, let's talk about repeated trials. This is the power of repeatedly trying.
There was this guy, Khe Hy, right? He was working on Wall Street, had the income, the status, the nice apartment, all that stuff. But he felt empty, you know? Like he was just going through the motions. So he quit and started a blog. He decided he was gonna try things for one-month experiments. Like, "I’m going to try Snapchat for a month and see what happens, or I’m going to try a podcast for fifty-two weeks.”
Notice the number of repetitions? Committing to a specific time forces you to wait before deciding something isn’t for you. You can remain confident even when you have hurdles come your way.
Confidence isn't something you're born with; it's built through action. Every time you act, you're betting on yourself.
You need enough tries to get reliable results. You can’t decide if you like a city just by spending one afternoon there. You need multiple trials to confirm that the results are not just because of chance.
Basically, more tries give you more reliable information to make decisions. And each time you try, you're likely to get better, which helps you grow.
There's this thing called the serial-order effect. It's basically that the later attempts at a creative thing are better than the earlier ones. Simply, it pays off to keep going.
People who are older in age also have a higher chance of making it with their start-ups. Success comes from experience. You learn from failing and putting in the reps.
So, how many tries do you need? Well, expertise can take decades. But you're not aiming for expertise, just confidence. Shorter time frames are more effective.
So, if it's something totally new, a ten-day pact is a good start. You get enough time to see patterns without being overwhelmed. If you’ve tried something before, a one-month pact allows you to build on what you’ve learned. And if it's something already in your life, a three-month pact can help make patterns clearer, so you can adjust your journey.
Don't let that stop you from making longer pacts. Sarah Tate, gave herself twelve months to see if coaching could be a career path. The time frame can even show how interested you are in the experiment.
The value of a pact is about the insights and growth it brings, not the length of time you commit to it.
Okay, so what *isn't* a pact?
It's not a habit. Habits are ongoing, with a goal in mind. Pacts have a specific amount of trials and is based on curiosity.
A pact can actually *help* you form a habit. You can experiment to see what feels right. I started journaling as part of a two-week pact and now I've been doing it every day for over three years!
It's not a New Year's resolution. New Year's resolutions fail because people overcommit. Pacts are about one simple action, repeated.
It's not a performance metric. A pact focuses on the output, not the outcome. Success is showing up, not the end result. Ali Abdaal said that he doesn’t think about the numbers; he only thinks about showing up. This is how he avoids getting burned out. He publishes one to two videos every week.
Finally, it's not a resource-intensive project. Experiments can be quick, like ten minutes a day for ten days. And you can even do them for free. Experiment with meditating, running, writing, coding, or even just doing nothing.
Basically, a pact is a mini experiment. It gives you a way to get curious, and it's a guarantee you will grow and discover new things about yourself.
Okay, so how do you pick your pact?
Don't go too big. Go tiny! What's the smallest version of this experiment that you can run? Think about your worst days. For example, Henri Brugère committed to 250 words of scriptwriting. Once he was confident, he expanded his pact to include videos of himself reading his scripts.
Also, it's tempting to do multiple pacts at the same time, but don’t do this. You can approach life with experimentation, there are tons of possibilities. Don't rush things!
Corin Delgay’s candle business failed. But he learned that he liked being creative. He explored his artistic side by saying, “Let me paint twenty paintings without trying to create a masterpiece.” Today, his gallery in Barcelona is a thriving business.
Also, you don't need to quit your job to start. Einstein was a patent examiner and Haruki Murakami wrote his first two books while running a jazz club.
Valentin Loredo, a creative producer, kept his job while he invested his time cooking. He signed up for an online course and put 3 to 5 hours on the weekends. Eventually, he passed one of the most rigorous culinary training courses in France.
Ultimately, choose your pact based on your curiosity. Think warm curiosity.
And that's it! You don't need anything else figured out. Every cycle will teach you something new about yourself and the world.
Write down your pact! "I will [action] for [duration]." That’s it.
You've committed to action, not stagnation. You've started your creative engine. People who do this exercise feel confident that they can move forward.
Crafting your first pact has made you embrace a life of perpetual transition.
So, when you switch from a linear mindset to an experimental mindset and focus on showing up rather than being perfect, new possibilities will emerge.