Find the curious child inside you
Have you ever asked yourself why in the world a round pizza comes in a square box?
Or why people say “heads up” when you should duck?
These types of questions often float through my mind—and I’m sure they float through yours too.
But why do we ask ourselves these questions? Why do we care?
The answer is simple: curiosity.
We’re all curious—some of us more than others. But what is it that makes us so inquisitive?
Is being curious a good thing?
Curiosity keeps our minds open. It allows us to enjoy new experiences, learn new things, look for challenges, and expand our minds.
Curiosity is actually a great thing! It lets us learn more.
It’s a thirst for knowledge.
Curiosity can be contagious—in fact, if you want to make other people pay attention, keeping them curious is one of the most effective ways to do it.
Keep them guessing.
Get them curious! Get them asking you questions, staying attentive, and always wanting to learn more.
Now, reverse this on yourself. If you ask questions, learn more, and broaden your mind, you allow yourself to grow as a person.
And growing as a person helps you grow as a leader. Life is a constant swing of learning and growing. And curiosity is the catalyst to this growth.
Think back…
Let’s go back to 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.
George had a childlike quality that was appealing to both children and adults alike.
While you reminisce about Curious George, ask yourself this question: do you continue to be curious?
Children and curiosity.
A good friend of mine once shared a photo that perfectly depicted curiosity in children.
One evening my friend’s husband came home with a dozen roses. She filled a jar with water, cut the flower 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 he smell those roses, and what made him smile?
There is so much to learn from this, and there is so much to learn from children and their curiosity.
In fact, you can use childlike curiosity in your own life to help yourself grow as a leader, mentor, friend, or partner.
Get people to ask you questions. Teach them. Help them learn. Help them grow. Maximize your leadership potential and unleash the curiosity in both yourself and others.
We can learn a lot from kids and their curiosity. In fact, entrepreneur Jim Rohn tells us there are four things in particular that we can learn from them:
- Curiosity: Children are naturally curious about things around them. As they continue to learn new things every day, they ask questions. So ask questions!
- Excitement. Children feel excited about learning new things, and we should too. Get excited about learning new things!
- Faith: Kids have faith in everything because they haven't seen enough of the world to be skeptical. Have faith in your ability to learn and grow, and try not to be so skeptical.
- Trust: Sometimes you just have to trust yourself—and the world around you. Kids easily trust the things around them, and you should trust too. Just make sure you ask the right questions.
So, how do we as adults cultivate curiosity?
John Maxwell’s “Law of Curiosity”.
Do you ever wonder how to grow as a leader, or how to learn and improve on your strengths? The secret is to ask questions and stimulate your curiosity.
In John Maxwell’s The 15 invaluable Laws of Growth, he 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.
To discover your leadership style, uncover your strengths, and stimulate your curiosity about yourself, try our Personality Leadership Report.
The Keys to Growth.
Curiosity is truly one of the keys to growth. It allows us to expand our minds, engage with people, and learn new things. And as we learn new things, we grow as people.
So remember: never stop asking questions.
Put no limits on your curiosity.
To allow yourself to stay curious, hang out with children and feed on their inquisitiveness.
Think like a beginner. Think like a child.
Ask why.
How do you unleash this curiosity? Well, get up every morning, be excited for the day, look forward to new experiences and surprises.
What do you want from your life, exactly? Think about that. Ask yourself that question. Then, challenge yourself by committing to learning something new every day.
And when you learn, ask questions.
Then and only then will you have captured that childlike mindset—the one that will have you climbing onto tables and smelling the roses.
The one that will make you grow.
The best is yet to come. It starts with you!
Your friends,
UpCloseTeam
This article was originally published on November 16, 2017 and has been updated.
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