Have you ever noticed that some of the most successful individuals in the world all have a curious mindset?
People like Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Tony Robbins, and Elon Musk to name a few. They aren’t just dedicated to personal growth.
They are naturally curious.
Think back to when we were still kids. We asked all sorts of questions, didn’t we? Somewhere during adulthood, we stopped asking questions.
We started to make our beliefs about how life works based on our experience.
But what if we continued to have a curious mindset?
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.” — Albert Einstein
Asking the right questions
I remember reading a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.
He stated that rather than saying we can’t afford this, we should ask the question “how can we afford it?”
The best innovators consistently ask themselves if there’s a way to make things easier?
I believe that we have to always ask questions about the world around us.
Each day, I ask myself a number of questions when I wake up in the morning.
Questions like…
- Am I happy or inspired by the work I’m doing?
- Am I making a positive difference in this world before I die?
- Am I setting a good example for my daughter?
I realised that being curious is also good for us mentally.
Recent studies have revealed that curiosity can improve psychological and social functioning.
The researchers tested whether curious individuals show better psychological transformation because
(1) They are less sensitive to rejection
(2) They are less vulnerable to daily social rejection experiences.
Their findings suggest one possible explanation for why curious people experience better psychological functioning.
it’s because they appear to be less affected by social rejection.
“Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own”
— James Cameron
Photo by iStockPhoto.com
Studying successful people
I’ve been known to be the person who asks a lot of questions. It’s probably because of my career background as a Tech Recruiter.
Asking questions is part of my role and I’m not afraid to look foolish.
If there’s an area in my life that I want to improve, then the first thing I do is be curious.
We live in an era where information can be accessed with a few taps on a device.
So I encourage everyone to adopt a curiosity mindset. Especially when it benefits not just yourself, but also the people around us.
You can apply this to every aspect of your life!
Relationships, Health, Career/Business, Finance or just overall happiness.
You can study people who have been successful in the area you are most passionate about.
“Intelligence follows curiosity” — James Clear
Currently, I’m studying people who have been successful in content creation in the area of blogging, Ebooks and courses.
I love the journey and the grind.
The more I dive into it, the more curious I get.
This is what life is all about, isn’t it?
Living life through the lens of curiosity rather than casting doubt upon ourselves.
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious”
— Albert Einstein
Todd Kashdan, a professor of psychology at George Mason University has conducted research on the nature of curiosity.
He says that “The more that experts examine curiosity, the more they find evidence to suggest that it’s the secret sauce in a happy, fulfilling life”
Todd also states that “when you lose yourself in the exploration of things that are new and that you find interesting, you’re not stopping to ask yourself if you’re happy or depressed”
Conclusion
When you’re curious, you’ll be too busy exploring new ideas! You won’t have time to ask yourself if you’re happy or not.
So the next time you feel bored or feel that life isn’t being fair.
Get curious!
It will help shift your focus and make a difference in your mood.
Below is a TED video I watched that highlights this story. If you have 15 minutes to spare, then I highly recommend you watch it.
The Power of Why: Unlocking a Curious Mind | Francesca Gino | TEDxTrentoStudio (Youtube)
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
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Photo credit: iStockPhoto.com