Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
Why do people say” heads up” when you should duck?
Why are the numbers on a calculator in the opposite order from the numbers on a phone? And why does a round pizza come in a square box? Many of us have wondered about these questions.
So here’s another question: what is it that makes us so inquisitive?
Curiosity is all about keeping an open mind and being able to enjoy new experiences while at the same time always looking for challenges and wanting to learn something new. It’s a thirst for knowledge.
Curiosity can also be contagious – in fact, if you want to make other people pay attention to what you have to say, keeping them curious may be one of the most effective ways to do it.
Just for a moment let’s go back to when you when you were a child, or when you had children. Do you remember watching Curious George on TV? He was always having experiences and getting into trouble because of his curiosity. You followed him on his daily journey and couldn’t wait to see what he discovered, experienced and enjoyed. Here is a short clip to remind you of George’s childlike appeal. While you watch it, ask yourself: do you continue to be curious?
Recently a good friend of mine shared a photo of her son’s curiosity.
One evening her husband came home with a dozen roses. She filled a jar with water, cut the flowers’ stems and carefully arranged them as her husband watched. As soon as she went out of the room, her one-year-old climbed onto the table to touch and smell the roses. He was curious to find out exactly what his father had brought home that made his mother blush and giggle.
Why did she smell those roses, and what made her smile?
We can learn so much from children and their curiosity. Entrepreneur Jim Rohn tells us that there are four things in particular that we can learn from them:
1.) Curiosity
2.) Excitement
3.) Faith
4.) Trust
So, how do we as adults cultivate curiosity?
John Maxwell includes the Law of Curiosity in his book The 15 invaluable Laws of Growth, and tells us there are 10 things we can do to stimulate our own curiosity:
- Believe you can be curious
- Have a beginner’s mindset
- Make why your favorite word
- Spend time with other curious people
- Learn something new every day
- Partake in the fruit of failure
- Stop looking for the right answer
- Get over yourself
- Get out of the box
- Enjoy your life
Curiosity is truly one of the keys to growth. So remember, never stop asking questions. Put no limits on your curiosity – and to help yourself stay curious, hang out with children and feed on their inquisitiveness. Finally, think like a beginner; ask why. I highly recommend this article by Marc and Angel Chernoff as a great “how to” guide.
Unleash your curiosity by getting up every morning, excited for the day, looking forward to new experiences and surprises.
Learn something new every day and ask lots of questions. Then and only then will you have captured that child like mindset – the one that will have you climbing onto tables and smelling the roses.
The best is yet to come. It starts with you!
Your friends,
UpCloseTeam
