You know the proverb; “Curiosity killed the cat?” It was referring to “being inquisitive about other people’s affairs may get you into trouble.” That being said, most breakthrough discoveries and inventions throughout history had something in common; they were the result of curiosity.
So why then are we not being MORE curious? A Harvard Business Review revealed that in a survey of 3,000 employees from a wide range of businesses and industries, only 24% reported feeling curious in their work on a regular basis, and about 70% said they faced barriers to asking more questions at work. Ok, this was a rather small survey, and yet nowhere should it be revealed that anyone should feel blocked from asking more questions.
And there lies the problem ….
We as humans have a strong desire to know or learn something new. Getting curious allows us to be present in our efforts to solve and learn. It sparks innovation. In my opinion, I think that curiosity is the eighth wonder of the world!
Curiosity is part of our human make-up that helps to extend our lives; makes us more youthful and playful; helps to decrease stress and anxiety; helps with resiliency and problem solving. I’ve seen people age more quickly when they show little signs of being curious.
When we’re curious we connect more deeply with others. We forge more meaningful relationships. We seek out others. We want to learn more about one another. In this exploration we grow as humans. We gather information that we might otherwise have gone undiscovered.
So, WOW, there’s a lot to be curious about!
Classic example: When we were very young and started to ask our parents, guardians, and any other “role model” questions that followed with “Why?” (and then, Why? Why? Why? Why?), we, more often than not were blocked by; “Stop asking so many questions.” Our enthusiasm to be curious stopped dead in its tracks. We were being irritating, annoying, a pain the arse. So, no wonder we stopped asking. If we did, then we were being defiant.
Given all the information about being and staying curious, I encourage you to dust off any preconceived ideas of locking down your curiosity, and open your eyes, mind, heart and soul ALL at once because THAT’S how you let curiosity in. That’s how it starts.
Stay curious my friends.