Every month at my old apartment, the loudspeaker went on and a man declared, “All residents: we are testing the fire alarm today. This is only a test: do not evacuate. I repeat: This is only a test.”

A few seconds later, the familiar wailing “whoooooOOOOOOPPPP… whoooooOOOOOOPPPP” would begin. After a slight pause, the loudspeaker would come on again. “Test complete.”

That memory has since been etched into my brain. “This is only a test. This is only a test.” I’ve found this mantra applicable to many other domains.

It’s tempting to treat everything so seriously – that one mistake will result in complete disaster. But really, most of the things we do are simply tests: an experiment to see what happens.

Some of my favourite moments began with a “see what happens” approach.

Let’s see what happens if I started running 5km a day.

Let’s see what happens if I actually tried to do well in school.

Let’s see what happens if I cut down my screen time by half.

The thing about a “test mentality” is that it’s impossible to fail if your only mission was to see what happens.

This is only a test.

Disclaimer: Caveats to this idea exist. If you’re a boyfriend, “testing” another girl could lead to you being dumped. If you’re a doctor, “testing” different drugs could land you in jail. If you’re a nuclear physicist, “testing” different parameters could blow up your lab. As a general rule, be careful if there are direct consequences on other people.