Did you know that being curious helps boost your state of being? Being happier, healthier, smarter, creative, and leave you feeling more fulfilled?
Among other basic human needs, curiosity or the desire to know is inherently human. We want to know… why a 3 year old asks questions relentlessly. Others are said to experience an anxious feeling—FOMO: fear of missing out just by sheer thought of not knowing. Simply, not being in the know drives some people to anxiety.
If you are still not convinced, may be this will do. Have you ever struck a conversation with a stranger at either the supermarket or while on the line at the post office or at the train station? Only to walk away thinking… wow, I want to know more, I learned something new. I now have a new acquaintance… I really enjoyed chatting with that person.
Truth be told, you probably wished the conversation could go on and on, right? If this has ever happened to you, you owe it to your curious mind for being interested instead of being interesting, as the great management influencer and author Jim Collins would say.
A Harvard Business Review study reported on finding that, “By asking questions and genuinely listening to the responses, one can model the behavior they desired in others.” Simply, asking a stranger a few questions not only demonstrate that you are interested in them, but also invites them to be interested in you if they so choose.
Consequently, the two parties walk away with new information that they otherwise would not have if they had not aroused their curiosity. A curios mind is said to probe more interestingly about a topic. Often this leads to an increase in learning, engagement, productivity and creativity.
This explains why some of the major tech companies encourage their employees to spend a certain amount of hours working on a topic they are curious about. I have read that product such as the like buttons on Facebook and Google’s Chrome resulted from such creative endeavors.
Clearly, curiosity yields tremendous value. According to sciencedaily.com, “Creativity to a degree is a trainable skill, it is a skill developed and can be improved. The more of it you do, the better you will get at it.”
As a matter of fact, creativity is one of the must have skills to remain relevant in the future workforce, and what employers will be looking for. By developing a curious mind now, you can learn whatever skills you wish to add in your repertoire, boost your social intelligence as you learn to interact with a diverse group of people all the while arming yourself ready for whatever the future state of work demands of you.
Curious already? Here are a few questions that can help you get started when an opportunity knocks your way…
- What is your favorite time of the year?
- Where are you from?
- What are you currently working on?
- Who is your hero or heroine dead or alive?
- If money and time weren’t an issue what would you do?
In conclusion, cultivating a curious mind has more gains than not. Not only do those who engage in this state of being learn more, they improve their cognitive abilities, are said to have rewarding social connections since they are more engaging than their counterparts, are healthier as they take more adventure, engage more and take control of their lives, and are said to be more innovative thus bringing new ideas, products and services to the marketplace—think Albert Einstein’s contributions to our world today. This is what he noted on curiosity, “The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
You owe it to yourself to cultivate a curious mind, who knows? It could very well land you into the Nobel Peace Prize winner list if you engage yourself in the art and science of curiosity. What are you curious about? Do your believe curiosity killed the cat or that knowledge brought it back? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Carolyne helps professionals gain CLARITY around building a meaningful career. A speaker, author of Being Grounded: 21 Days To Come Alive and Love Your Life, and a contributing writer for various publications. To schedule your 45 minutes complimentary session with her, you can write her at carolyne@vpfstrategies.com
