Sip before you swig

Whether it’s a cup of hot coffee, a new habit, or a life-altering decision, consider the size of your first dose carefully. Sip before you swig.

In design, prototyping is the practice of making a lower-fidelity version of something to get a feel for how it looks and feels. A model. You can prototype your life too. Futurist Jane McGonigal calls this Episodic Future Thinking—the practiced ability to pre-experience a future event as vividly as if you were already in it.

Practiced with intention, EFT is a powerful way to sip the future. It prepares the mind for many potential futures. Gradual exposure to change prepares the mind and heart for transformation.

To sip is 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. If you’re less than certain about something (and you generally should be), find a smaller version and start with that instead.