Wednesday's Wisdom

Tavia Robinson

Oct 13, 20213 min read

“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”

-Ken Robinson

How do the words above resonate with you?

Pause here for a moment and free yourself from distractions:

Take a deep breath in... exhale slowly... deep breath in... exhale slowly... deep breath in... exhale slowly... calm your mind and be present...

What are you curious about? Random question, but what comes to mind..?

curiosity /noun/:

a strong desire to know or learn something.

Reading an excerpt from Gay Hendricks A Year of Living Consciously, was the inspiration for today’s blog. He asked a well know headhunter: “If she had two or three qualified people, how did she pick the one to recommend?” Her response was:

Curiosity. I look for the one with the most curiosity about everything.

The ones I hire are always more interested in learning than in proving how much they know.

How important is curiosity to you? Think about it for a moment... why should it matter...

Benefits of Cultivating Curiosity (by Roxana-Cristina Petrus)

• It improves your ability to make decisions and solve problems

• It increases your engagement and boosts your performance

• It supports collaboration and teamwork

• It increases your resilience and improves the way you manage uncertainty and change

• It increases your ability to manage stress and pressure

• It heightens your senses, and as a result, you will experience positive emotions more intensely

• It leads to more moments of creativity and to more innovative and new ideas

• It acts as a counterpart to anxiety and fear. Being curious and working towards learning something that you are interested in can help you look at the positive consequences of you trying, instead of the negative ones.

If you’d like to cultivate more curiosity into you life, here are a few ideas to consider.

How to Cultivate Curiosity:

Go Deeper: Push past the superficial. Instead of the generic “How are you...”. that generates the generic response, “Fine, and you..?” Try, “What are you excited about...”. “I noticed your expression, what are you feeling...? This creates real conversation.

Ask Questions: Being more inquisitive really does open the door to curiosity.

When speaking to someone show a genuine interest in the conversation. Ask them; "why." .Tell me more... What do you think... Take me through your thought process... Listen more and speak less.

Ask Yourself More Questions: Get curious about your mind, your thoughts, your feelings. How are your really feeling right now?, What would make you feel better? , What do you need right now?, Why do you feel this way?

Try New Interests or a Hobby: Make time and space for learning and curiosity. Remember that childlike curiosity you had that sparked your interest in trying many different things... When was the last time you tried something new? Follow what interests you and see where it leads.

Foster a Growth Mindset: Someone with a growth mindset believes intelligence can be developed leading to a desire to learn. Someone with a fixed mindset believes intelligence is static.

People Watch: Sitting somewhere and watching people walk by can be surprisingly enlightening. Imagine where they might be going, how their day’s going and what makes them get out of bed in the morning. People watching also offers us a chance to get out of our own heads for a bit.

Today’s Challenge: Commit to curiosity!

Intentionally set aside knowing and use curiosity every step of the way.

What are you willing to do to cultivate curiosity?

Don’t miss your opportunity. Be intentional. Encourage others to do the same and watch what happens.

You got this!

Coach Tavia

#becurious, #honoryourself, #learnandgrow, #selfawareness, #selfimprovement, #selfcompassion, #focus, #shift, #dothework, #shareyourgifts, #releaseyourpower, #knowyourworth, #leadbyexample, #justdoit, #lifecoach, #leadershipcoach, #leadershipdevelopment, #letsgo