Sip before you swig
Sip before you swig
Whether it’s a cup of fresh coffee, a life-altering decision, or a new way of being, always consider the size of your first dose. Sip before you swig.
In design, prototyping is the practice of building a smaller, lower-fidelity version of something to get a feel for how it works. You can prototype your life too. In her book Imaginable, futurist Jane McGonigal describes the practice of Episodic Future Thinking (EFT):
It’s the mental ability to transport yourself forward in time and pre-experience a future event. EFT is often described as a kind of “mental time travel” because your brain is working to help you see and feel the future as clearly and vividly as if you were already there.
Folks with anxiety may recognize this as “future-tripping,” but when practiced with intention EFT is a powerful method to “sip” the future. It prepares the mind for a flood of potential futures. Gradual exposure to change prepares the mind and heart for transformation. It paves the way for acceptance and adaptability.
Sipping is a form of discernment, allowing you to try on an idea before merging it with your identity. To swig is to surrender your agency, and trust whatever is in the bottom of your mug. But everything in life should be considered on a trial basis. Even life itself has an expiry date.