I have a habit of saying something without even thinking about it.

“There is only one way to find out.”

My wife and I often have conversations about ideas or possibilities.

Sometimes she wonders if something might work.

Or she has a hypothesis about how something might turn out.

Quite often the conversation ends there.

Not because we disagree.

Simply because nothing has happened yet.

That is usually when I say,

“There is only one way to find out.”

I don’t mean it as encouragement.

Nor as a challenge.

It’s simply an observation.

Speculating only gets you so far.

At some point reality has to answer the question.

Looking back, I realize this way of thinking has been with me for a long time.

Perhaps much longer than I was aware of.

I often say,

“Let’s see what happens.”

Not because I don’t care about the outcome.

Quite the opposite.

I’m genuinely curious about what will happen.

Will I enjoy getting up at four in the morning?

Will writing every day change the way I think?

Will flying a different drone teach me something?

Will moving to Japan be the right decision?

There is only one way to find out.

I suppose that’s why I don’t enjoy arguments about opinions very much.

Two people can spend hours trying to convince each other who is right.

Or they can simply try something and see what reality has to say.

Of course, not everything can be tested.

But surprisingly many things can.

Maybe that is why I see life less as something to figure out in advance and more as something to experience.

The unknown has never bothered me very much.

In fact, it is often the most interesting part.

Because until you try, you don’t really know.