We’re born curious. We use every sense we have to explore this strange new world, taking in sights and sounds and smells and tastes and textures as fast as we possibly can.

In some, this insatiable curiosity wanes as they figure things out, perfecting behaviors that keep them safe and happy. For others the desire to explore, discover, invent, and solve remains with them for life.

My mother said my favorite question as a child was “How come?” But gradually I stopped asking a zillion questions. How come? It could have been out of fear, distraction, laziness, or believing that curiosity really does kill the cat. I later realized that in relinquishing my curiosity, I also lost an important way to connect with the world around me. So I’ve been diligently working to reclaim that inquisitiveness.

If you don’t think being curious can help you at this stage of life, consider these benefits:

• Curiosity helps solve problems. What worked for us 10 years ago or even 15 minutes ago may not work now. Since we face new problems almost daily, curiosity leads to new and better solutions-helping us adapt to change, reduce stress, and live more richly.
• Curiosity strengthens relationships. The most successful manager/networker/party guest/friend is one who asks questions, listens, learns, and remembers things about those they interact with.
• Curiosity leads to a more successful career. In a world where information grows by the second, the employee who “knows it all” and doesn’t keep their skills and knowledge current quickly falls behind. This leads to boredom, frustration, dead end positions, stagnant wages, and unemployment.
• Curiosity clarifies values. Learning about people, events, and issues helps us stay connected, fuels our own missions, and sheds light on our own beliefs, priorities, and motives.
• Curiosity releases expectation. We get disappointed when things don’t go our way. Curiosity helps us let go of the outcome–we can wonder how things will turn out instead of being crestfallen when reality doesn’t match our expectations.

You might say to this, “But I’m very curious. I spend lots of time Googling, reading blogs, getting daily news feeds.” It’s true; with the Internet it’s fun and easy to satisfy your curiosity, at least in some ways.

But there are other forms of curiosity that are harder to satisfy, but can lead to enormous payoff. There is curiosity about ourselves–our purpose, mission, or place in the world. There’s asking how much our current job reflects our personality, talents, and values. There’s wondering how we can improve our relationships, our parenting skills, our contribution to society. And there’s contemplating how to get more joy and fulfillment out of every day we’re alive.

What would your life be like if you could Google for these answers?

If jumping-starting this kind of curiosity seems daunting, begin with little things. The spark of curiosity can begin simply by paying closer attention. Here are some ideas:

1. Look it up. The next time you come across a word or concept you don’t understand, don’t just skip over it; stop and find out what it means. Look it up or ask someone.
2. Ask just one more question. In your next conversation with someone, ask them one more question about something they said, rather than responding with your thoughts or opinions.
3. Do an informational interview. Find someone from an organization, in a position, or with a hobby you’re curious about. Offer to buy them a cup of coffee in exchange for information. Most people will be flattered and enjoy the opportunity to talk about themselves.
4. Browse a new aisle. Next time you’re in the bookstore, library, video store, music store, shopping mall, whatever, deliberately peruse an area you wouldn’t normally visit. Notice what catches your eye. Look more closely. Try to reserve judgment and see what you learn.
5. Take a community education class. Find an inexpensive course in something you’ve never even thought of trying. Pottery, beer brewing, real estate investing, acting, sign language, square dancing, kayaking, drawing, fencing, travel writing. The possibilities are endless.
6. Go on a treasure hunt. Explore your neighborhood, community, or city. Set out on foot, by bike, by car, or public transportation, with the express purpose of finding things you didn’t know about. It could be a great hole-in-the-wall deli, an art gallery, a sports shop, a street with great architecture, a beautiful public park. (This is a fun activity to share with someone.)
7. Bookend your day. Wake up every morning and ask yourself “What new and interesting thing will I find out about today?” Before you go to sleep, ask yourself, “What new and interesting thing did I find out about today?”

The great thing about cultivating curiosity is that it’s self-perpetuating. There’s a certain thrill to learning, especially when we discover things on our own. For example, I enjoy great restaurants that I’ve stumbled onto even more than those recommended by others.

Once you’re in the habit of being curious, you might find you naturally delve into more personal and complex issues. You can then ask questions like, “If my life were 10 percent better than it is now, what would it look like? If it were 50 percent better? 100 percent better?”

So, what are you curious about?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 28th, 2006 at 6:41 pm and is filed under Self Made Toolbox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.