Learning Through Tiny Experiments

Learning anything new isn't a daunting challenge, but a joyful exploration of what's possible.

I have tried to be someone who pursues both linear goals as well as unstructured explorations. The former helped me move up the corporate ladder and the latter fulfilled me with creative pursuits that enabled newer possibilities across a wider spectrum.

All the tipping points in my career came from little acts of curiosity. When I was into software development, I was fascinated by people who worked and cared for quality. I would see them define processes, help people and deliver trainings. I volunteered as a trainer and before I knew, I was a full time quality consultant. That small step of volunteering opened up new possibilities for me.

After a few years, I was fascinated by people around me who would be consulting customers before selling services to them. I walked up to my CEO with a proposal of building dedicated service line out of what I was doing. It was a small step, the one that was thrashed a first few times. When I kept proposing different business models, something clicked. I started traveling across the globe to consult customers on their challenges.

Similarly, my pursuits of learning how to lead large organizations, building strong teams, transitioning to my own business, growing it, learning music etc. are all results of small acts done out of wonder, openness and curiosity.

Small acts, when done consistently over time, opened new doors of possibilities.

What has this journey revealed to me?

That:

• Purpose is not a prison that binds you on a static and linear path. It is a playground that constantly evolves.

• Purpose reveals itself as you go. Great journeys that are different rarely start out of the need to thrash big goals. They often start with small steps, and as we take those steps, a larger purpose reveals itself.

• Human beings are not coins, but diamonds. Coins have just two sides. We are like diamonds with multiple facets and talents. The problem is, we don’t explore these facets enough. The key to do that is to have personal learning projects driven by small actions taken repeatedly, and improving along the way.

• We need depth but we also need breadth. Setting and achieving goals is important, but only till the point that it does not confine us into narrow and linear ladders.

• “Inside Out Goals” > “Outside In Goals”. Ultimately, the key question we need to ask is, “Sure, I am chasing goals. But whose goals are they anyway?”. Our goals are largely a reflection of what others are doing - and when we chase them blindly to seek validation, we kill a part of ourselves longing to explore and break-out. The key to being different and having a fulfilling life is to set goals “inside-out” rather than “outside-in”. Paying attention to what we truly want to do and express is the starting point of setting goals that allow you to be your authentic self.

• Learning is a journey where each step counts (and adds up). Learning anything new is not a daunting challenge, but a journey where each step counts. Fundamentally, we learn so that we can be happy and joyful.

• Creative growth isn’t a straight line. It’s a series of small loops: try something, learn from it, try again.

Also Read: The power of daily practice (2015)

Tiny Experiments

In the world that is obsessed with outcomes,

Anne-Laure Le Cunff

’s new book “Tiny Experiments” is a refreshing invitation to rediscover the joy of small steps taken with curiosity, interest and openness. It is one of those few books that I read end to end in a single sitting.

Based on the neuroscience of learning, Tiny Experiments is a short and powerful book that proposes a simple idea: instead of chasing linear goals, why not approach life like an explorer who tests, tweaks and learns through small playful experiments?

What deeply resonated with me was this idea of lowering stakes. The book encourages us to explore without the fear of failure, learn in short iterative loops and find meaning in the process, not just in the results.

As I read the book, I could connect the dots from my own learning journeys that were small acts of going where my energy took me at that point in time - and I am not regretting any of it.

When the journey is joyful, we don’t need to keep a count of milestones, for they are the by-products.

If you are curious but stuck, or waiting for permission to start something, this book might be the tiny spark you need.

Sketchnote: Tiny Experiments

Here is a sketchnote summary capturing my key take-aways from the book, both in form of a static sketchnote and a sketchnote video with narration.