How tiny experiments make us more playful (and more likely to succeed)
Hey Reader
It's a pity that we've forgotten how to play.
As adults, we’ve been conditioned to equate progress with a certain type of visible, explicit productivity. It's a luxury that can only be tolerated if it guarantees concrete outcomes. If the meter ain't running, it's not creating value.
At the same time, more research and behavioural psychology evidence is coming to an opposing conclusion: without play, we stop experimenting, and without that, we stop discovering and coming up with great ideas that change the world (there's even in institute for play, how cool?!).
In the all-new Humble Mind Podcast, Anne-Laure Le Cunff, founder of Ness Labs and author of Tiny Experiments, challenged us to rethink our approach to setting better goals and designing the kind of live we want to live. Her message was clear: if you want to break free from rigid, linear success, you have to experiment. And experimentation requires play.
If you’re feeling stuck, bored or uninspired (or all three), it’s probably not because you need to work harder. It’s because you’ve forgotten how to let go and play for its own sake. You’ve forgotten how to test ideas without fear of failure, or how to follow your curiosity without needing to justify every single move.
Check out the full conversation here!
We learned that this is not about ditching your ambitions or dropping everything to live a carefree life, but rather to better recognise your own spirit of curiosity when it arises and allow it to blossom in small, intentional experiments: tiny moves that teach, surprise and expand your view of what’s possible.
For too long we have thought of meeting with new people 'networking' as a dull, transactional yet somehow necessary task. A few seem to do it well, but the rest of us suck. How can we make this a more enjoyable exercise, in a way that allows you to drop the performance and let your real self shine through, while also making the impression count in the very best way?
I'll be leading a practical workshop on building authentic relationships that go beyond the usual what do you do small talk. We'll be talking about (and practicing) how to connect with curiosity, presence and generosity.
Click to let me know you're joining tomorrow!
Don't miss our very first-ever Humble Mind Book Jam in celebration of Relentless Relevance, the new book hot off the press courtesy of presentation rockstar Rich Mulholland on Thursday 10th at 4pm CET / 10am ET!
Thursday 10 April
A fun deep dive into Rich Mulholland's latest book - get a free digital copy!
On 7 May, the Humble Mind Community Builder’s Bootcamp will kick off 4 glorious weeks that will give you everything you need to design an online community space that people want to be part of.
Join us every Wednesday in May to:
Build a purpose-driven community that aligns with your vision and values
Facilitate real conversations and interactions that strengthen connections and trust
Establish engagement rhythms that make participation feel natural and valuable
Scale your community sustainably without sacrificing authenticity
You’ll get live coaching, a complete workbook of tools and prompts, and access to a curated cohort of like-minded community ninjas on the same path.
Center for Human Technology's most recent AI monthly briefing - this month they covered high-quality video avatars, The Uncanny Valley, chatbots & loneliness, AI interpretability, agentic advances, AGI and more (these are the guys behind The Social Dilemma documentary)
Now is a great time to level up your Humble Mind experience and become a Sound MindorDeep Mind. Enjoy access to our entire library of session replays, be part of our inner circle and grab some extra 1-1 time with me.
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