Your Lack of Experimenting Is Keeping You From Achieving Your Full Potential

We are born into a world full of possibilities, yet most of us spend our lives walking in circles, sticking to what feels safe and familiar.

Why?

Because experimenting — truly stepping into the unknown — feels uncomfortable.

You will meet many people along the way. Some of them will cheer you on, others will criticize or even mock you. In the Arab world, especially, this pressure can feel even heavier. From a young age, you’ll hear voices saying:

“Focus on one thing in life.”

“You shouldn’t be doing anything except this.”

These statements are repeated like unspoken laws. Parents, relatives, even friends, often mean well — they think they’re protecting you from failure. But what they’re really doing is boxing you in.

And here’s the truth:

The Myth of Focusing on Only One Thing

In many Arab families, there’s a strong cultural expectation to pick a path early and never deviate.

Become a doctor.

A lawyer.

A banker.

Stick to the family business.

Take Fairuz, the Lebanese icon. She wasn’t born a star. She experimented with different musical styles before creating a sound that redefined Arab music. Or Steve Jobs, who explored calligraphy, spirituality, and design — none of which seemed connected at first, but later became the soul of Apple’s identity.

If Jobs had “focused on one thing” too early, we might never have seen the iPhone.

Experimenting doesn’t mean being scattered or lazy. It means expanding your vision and allowing different disciplines to cross-pollinate. That’s where innovation happens.

From The Laws of Human Nature

I’ve been reading The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene, and one law struck me deeply:

The Law of Conformity.

It explains how humans are wired to imitate the groups around them. This isn’t just about fitting in — it’s about survival.

In tribal times, being an outcast meant death. Today, it just means raised eyebrows, group gossip, and judgment — especially in tight-knit societies like ours.

But here’s the danger: when you conform too much, you suppress your individuality.

You become a mirror of other people’s expectations instead of the architect of your own life.

Experimentation is rebellion against conformity. It’s saying,

The Fear of Judgment

Let’s be honest.

In Lebanon, or anywhere in the Arab world, if you decide to take an unusual path — becoming a DJ, an app developer, a YouTuber — people will talk.

But people talk anyway.

As the Lebanese saying goes:

So why not do what you love?

When you experiment, you gain skills and perspectives that no one can take away from you. Even if one path doesn’t work out, you’ll have more tools to create the next one.

The Power of Crossroads

Some of the most successful people didn’t have a straight-line career.

They weren’t afraid to reinvent themselves.

Your life doesn’t have to be a single story. It can be a series of chapters, each richer than the last.

Start Small, Start Now

Experimenting doesn’t mean dropping everything overnight. It can be as simple as:

Every new experience rewires your brain, sharpens your perspective, and adds depth to who you are.

Final Thought

The world will always have opinions about what you should or shouldn’t do.

But as Robert Greene writes,

So, play. Experiment.

Be willing to look foolish for a while — because on the other side of that discomfort is your full potential.

You don’t have to be defined by where you started. You are free to explore, to grow, and to surprise even yourself.

Until the next song writes itself, I’ll be here, living it.

M.