“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.”
Growing up, I took great pride in telling my friends that my dad is a scientist. The obvious next question from them would be ” what did he discover?”  I loved talking to them about the instrument that he and his team put together to help  farmers.
I still remember the excitement in the class when we were taken to the science lab. Even kids who did not have a flair for science theory, found the lab period rather interesting.
I relived those moments while conducting science workshops for kids. Even the most hyperactive kid in class would settle down and start focusing on his work while experimenting with the kit he was given.
Do our experiments stop at the labs we attended while in school and college (unless our profession demands us to)?
Experimenting with what we have in anticipation of discovering something new is a characteristic we humans have always taken pride in.
Experiment is defined as “a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.”
Though experiments are synonymous to science, I would say that the process of experimenting is something that we can borrow for every aspect of our life.
The discovery I make could be a new recipe to ensure my kids eat a particular veggie  or a new method to cook my favorite dish with lesser oil.
The hypothesis that I am testing could be “If you eat more veggies, then you will loose more weight” or ” If you learn to use pinterest, then you can increase my blog traffic.”
The know fact that I try to demonstrate could be ” you can run more in the mornings than in the evenings” or ” Blogging can be a stepping stone to many other related professions.”
What helps us in all of the above mentioned situations, is what I would call a “Scientific Spirit” or like I titled the blog, a ” spirit-e-experiment”.  This includes the following characteristics:

• the curiosity to know the unknown
• the ability to take risks
• the willingness to keep trying different methods
• the perseverance to bring the task to conclusion
• the humility to accept the result
• And the frame of mind to repeat all of the above over and over again.

We are born with an instinct to know the unknown. The scientific spirit and approach helps us in that search.  ( I would also add that the inward journey a person takes to understand oneself can use the exact same approach)
Do you remember the first time you saw a volcano model with red lava oozing out of its mouth (crater) ? I couldn’t wait to get to the table to do it myself. Experimenting with different quantities of baking soda and vinegar and then adding some color to the lava, was all so much fun.
I am reminded of that child like excitement every time I use baking soda and vinegar to remove tough stains. This and many such small instances which reminds me of the fun of experimenting, keeps the spirit of experimenting alive within me.
“All life is an experiment. The more you make, the better! ” Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

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