The 9-Second Version.
A doctor was given his last rites at 25 due to a rare disease, so he turned himself into a research lab and found his own cure.
When conventional wisdom fails, unconventional thinking can become your lifeline. Run the experiment.
Discover.
David Fajgenbaum was given his last rites at 25.
Castleman disease—a rare immune disorder that turns your body’s defenses against itself—was killing him, and his doctors had run out of options.
Most people would have accepted their fate. Fajgenbaum turned himself into a research lab.
He collected his own blood samples, analyzed thousands of pages of medical records, and systematically tested theories about his condition. Through relentless experimentation, he identified an existing drug that could save his life—one that had been sitting in pharmacies for years but had never been connected to his disease.
The result? Over 10 years in complete remission.
But he didn’t stop there. He turned this approach into Every Cure, a nonprofit that’s now found treatments for 14 different conditions using the same methodology.
Think.
What’s something you can take the reins on?
Most of us can point to something in our work/personal lives that makes us say “I need to take matters into my own hands.” What is that for you?
Do.
To take the reins, start with experimentation.
Instead of trying to solve the problem with a single eureka idea, consider a number of possibilities to test. Experimentation is the antidote to innovation risk and the way to move things forward.
Find a problem you need to solve, think of a handful of things to try, and the quickest way to test them.
David put his own disease into remission through relentless experimentation. It’s one of my core tenets: run the experiment.
So, take that problem you’ve been wrestling with, decide what experiments you need to run, and take the first step in running them. Simply put, the best leaders—and the best innovators—are the best experimenters.
To your creative success…
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About Josh
Josh Linkner is a New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, venture capital investor, professional jazz guitarist, and a globally recognized innovation expert. To learn more or to explore a collaboration, visit JoshLinkner.com