Not Sure About Something in Life? Test Drive It !
You try software for 30 days. You date before you get married, in most cultures anyway. You rent movies and even music before buying.
Have you thought of all the other ways and benefits of “trying before buying?” Doing so lessens the risk of making the wrong choice, which can make it way easier to take action!
Test Drive a Pet
Getting a dog, cat or other pet that requires constant care is a major commitment both for your own lifestyle as well as the welfare of the animal.
Ideas:
- Pet sit for your friends.
- Or be a dog walker.
- Some rescue shelters also need people to walk dogs so look into volunteering.
And of course, Cars
Rent or use an hourly rental service like ZipCar. Like if you have a goal to cruise in a Ferrari , why not rent one for the day from a service like Exotic Car Rentals? Although it will be expensive, you can get an idea if you really want to commit.
Test Drive a Place to Live
I’m on a role experimenting with different neighborhoods and towns in the San Francisco Bay Area to decide where I want to settle for the long haul. If you’re not sure where you want to live:
Ideas:
- Position yourself as a housesitter to try out an area.
- Rent as a sublet or month to month.
- Do a home exchange. Lots of ads on Craigslist and through HomeExchange services where you can try another city, state or country as part of your vacation!
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And a Career
Not sure what your next move should be? Temp! Contract! Experiment.
This approach, if possible, can not only help you know if a job is a good fit, but the company location, lifestyle etc.
In fact, Mathias Guillin, who took the Ferrari photo as well as the Chinese motorcycle photo on the home page wanted to become a professional photographer. He delved into this hobby extensively while working in his job, with a goal to get business going and be able to go into photography full time.
Ideas:
- While an extreme example, Sean Aiken tried a new job each week for a year.
- Vocation Vacations has become a popular way to test drive what you think might be your dream career.
- Starting your own business? Rent equipment or even a fully stocked facility rather than making a capital investment.
- Volunteer or apprentice to get exposed to possible new careers and organizations.
- And of course, moonlight! This is the time-honored way to test drive a new endeavor.
Ease Into Hobbies
Before you invest in equipment for a new hobby, make sure you’re into it. I’ve got my set of needles and yarn sitting somewhere, just waiting for me to learn how to use them. Luckily it was a small investment. No biggie. And one day…
Got a goal to learn to sew? Take classes before buying a machine. Rent snowboarding equipment before buying, to make sure it’s the right fit and you even like the sport.
If you’re delving into a goal to take guitar lessons, see if any friends will lend you a guitar, as I did.
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Relationships
I’m not even getting into that can of worms. Living together seems to work on a case by case basis. That is a decision up to you. End of story! 
In summary, for just about anything in your life you can:
- Rent
- Borrow
- Request freebies
- Commit temporarily
You’ll save money, end up with less unneeded stuff, and free yourself from making a hard decision to buy!
What are some other things that are great to test drive?
