It is challenging to achieve success and happiness in life without being curious in what we want or are pursuing.
During the pandemic, I observed from media postings that those who are curious about things tended to find ways to contribute or to overcome the challenges faced.
There were ground-up movements started to help save small businesses and to offer assistance to the vulnerable.
There was also a story of how a group of Malaysian mothers working in Singapore found ways to send breast milk to their babies back home, undaunted by the border controls.
Those with a curious mind also found ways to stay optimistic, engaged and healthy during such times. The lockdown measures were not pleasant, but people found creative ways to continue enjoying freedom while staying safe.
For businesses, curiosity also fuels innovation and allows for adaptability. This is especially critical during times of crisis.
I came across the story of TentCraft, a company based in Traverse City, Michigan, who saw the demand for its custom-printed tents disappear with the onset of the pandemic. The company realised that if they didn’t pivot, they would be in a whole lot of trouble. The company’s president and founder had come across TV reports featuring drive-through testing centres in South Korea and that sparked off the shift to completely re-tool the company to focus on supporting health and medical applications.
The company booked close to $1 million of business in a vertical with which it had no previous experience.
There are countless other business stories and they all have a common theme: people being curious about how they could resolve a problem they were facing and then finding the steps or resources needed to overcome the problem.
Many of the products that we use today came about because of curiosity, such as superglue, pacemakers, x-ray, Play-Doh. The inventors’ curiosity allowed them to ‘embrace luck’.
When we are curious, we are able to approach challenging tasks or vexing situations in a positive way than focusing on the arising fears associated with it.
In studies that examine happiness, life satisfaction and well-being, researchers have found that character strengths such as curiosity together with zest, hope, gratitude and love frequently emerge with the highest correlations with happiness and life satisfaction.
If curiosity is useful, then how might we continue to nurture this in ourselves and in others?
Here are some ways that my clients and I have found useful for keeping a curious mindset:
◉ Have the courage to ask questions
◉ Ask the question ‘why’
◉ Be aware of our biases
◉ Listen without judgement
◉ Be fully present
◉ Embrace enthusiasm
◉ Break the routine
◉ Read extensively
◉ Pause and reflect
◉ Learn new skills
◉ Be willing to be wrong
◉ Create time for curiosity
◉ Listen more
◉ Explore new places
◉ Make new connections
How do you stay curious? Love to hear your thoughts!