The definition of curiosity is “a desire to know or learn.” It’s a deep feeling inside that drives you to discover more. It is not enough to get the answer, your goal is to understand. Before you learn, you have to be OK not knowing. If you act like you already have all the answers, you will never seek out new ones. Be careful of this trap.
To help you stay curious throughout life, follow these 6 steps.
Imagine you are a reporter on a story
Great reporters never stop asking questions. Their favorite ones are the six W’s (even though one starts with an H, weird huh?). Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. You might ask:
- Who did it happen to?
- What does it mean?
- Where did it happen?
- When did it happen?
- Why did that happen?
- How does that happen?
Reporters know they don’t have the answers. The answers are out in the world and their job is to find them. But go beyond the “answer”, look to understand. Your curiosity will make you smarter. Remember that “I don’t know” is a fine answer, as long as you follow it up with questions to get it.
I am going through this process with each one of these letters. I need to question myself and think through answers. I also need to pull from all my past experiences and those of others. My hope is that the answers I find will help you better understand each topic.
Read, read, read and then read some more
Somewhere along the way in my childhood, I figured out the power of books. There is so much to learn and so much available. This is more true today than ever.
Set a goal each year for how many books you will read. My goal for 2017 is to read 30. Here are the books I’ve read in the past few years. Don’t worry about what kind of books you read right now. Just read.
There are some amazing books I will recommend. You will want to review them every few years of your of your life. I’ll share the list soon.
Make a list of the things you want to learn and go do it
Online learning has the power to change the world. It is available to anyone with a desire to learn. I never had this opportunity as a child.
I started taking online classes this year. I wanted to become a better writer, so I took two classes. I wanted to learn more about branding, so I took a class. I wanted to learn how to play tennis, so I took an online class. You can learn anything you want, if you have the desire and curiosity.
Start now. Think of 3-5 things you want to learn. Set that list aside. The next time you get bored, pull out the list and pick a topic to learn.
Being curious takes effort. It’s easy to ignore the questions. Never do this. Never lose your curiosity.
In every conversation, think of questions to ask, not things to say
There is a reason you have two ears and one mouth. By listening more than you speak, curiosity is activated. When you’re having a conversation, don’t think about what you want to say, think about what you want to ask. It’s hard. Trust me.
Starting with a learning mindset will help. When the other person makes a point or says something you don’t understand. Stop and ask them what they mean. Ask them to tell you more. Put your whole heart and mind into the conversation and into your curiosity.
Dale Carnegie was a famous author. He said, “you can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” By having curiosity with people you build strong relationships and win their admiration.
Get comfortable, being uncomfortable
Some of the most memorable experiences of your life will be adventures. There is always a fork in the road. Explore a new experience or stay in the comfort of what you know.
After college, I set out on an amazing adventure with five of my friends. We took a four week trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. It was a month full of firsts:
- Scuba diving
- Bungee Jumping
- Riding a motorcycle to the top of a mountain
- Whale watching
- Eating new food
- Exploring the rainforests
- Seeing strange animals
- Climbing to the top of the Sydney bridge
- Seeing a rugby game in the new Olympic Stadium
Part of life is allowing for adventure. It’s what happened to us in New Zealand. Our plan was to go skiing, but there wasn’t any snow. Instead, we rented a van and started driving. Along the way, we set our course and explored the island. There was no real plan. Because of that we had experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Remember, it’s OK if everything isn’t mapped out. Let the world come to you. Be impressed by it. Notice the big and small things. Allow your curiosity to run wild.
“Curiosity is a function of overcoming fear. Fear of being wrong. Fear of being right. Fear of being different. If you don’t have the guts to think about bad ideas, you’ll never have the opportunity to execute brilliant ones.” Unknown
Life is learning. The only way to keep learning is to stay curious. Never stop.
This post is part of a series of letters to my kids. My goal is to reflect on and capture as many life lessons as possible. Here is the current list I am working from.
