This is a guest post by Makenzie Kelly, @makenziekelly.
“Judge a man by his questions rather than answers”, Voltaire
Some say curiosity killed the cat. I say what doesn’t kill the cat, makes it stronger!
Curiosity has been classified as a nice-to-have attribute of a person; it definitely hasn’t been a reinforced attribute by our education system because some feel curiosity may not really serve a purpose.
“It is amazing that curiosity survives formal education” Einstein
Yet, Einstein and other notable scholars have developed entire theories, solved unsolvable equations, and come up with amazing solutions to our world’s problems by solely being curious. How does curiosity work?
- Curiosity allows us to ask questions
- Curiosity is innocent, so we can be curious about anything, there are no limits
- Curiosity allows exploration
- Curiosity has no room for judgment
- Curiosity spurs amusement and fun
How can you use curiosity to further your personal development?
1. Ask A Lot Of Questions
And don’t just ask questions that have easily solvable answers. I remember my son at five years old once asked me, “Mommy, why do I always confuse my left and right, but I never confuse my up and down?” Such a simple question, but the answer befuddled me…and the question was a valid one. Questions in their simplest form draw our attention to a problem, and then curiosity starts digging into the problem.
2. Use Curiosity To Melt Resistance
If you are meeting resistance in a certain area in your life, get curious. If you are angry, sad or bitter, get curious about why you’re having those feelings. Curiosity does a funny thing and melts away your self-judgment about the issue at hand that may be bothering you.
3. How Can I?
When you are faced with a problem, use your curiosity, start asking questions and wonder “How Can I” solve this problem. When we get our mind out of reactive mode, get curious about the resolution, our mind reacts more positively and we can intuit more comprehensive solutions.
4. Let Your Mind Run Unhindered
Start writing down your questions and let your mind run free. Sometimes the more curious we become, the more the questions can freely flow out of our head onto paper.
5. Engage Your Subconscious In A Conversation
Curiosity is a tool to our subconscious. We don’t like being judged, neither does our subconscious. But we do like it when people ask questions about us and engage us in conversation. This is exactly what we do to our subconscious when we get curious, we engage it in a conversation.
6. Reframe Your Problems
Realize that we cannot solve a problem if we don’t know what the underlying question is. Curiosity helps to frame our problems in such a way that we can answer them.
7. Extinguish Boredom
Ever notice how young children never seem to be bored? Their minds are jumping from one exploration to the next, hands and feet in tow. Their insatiable curiosity about the world eliminates boredom. In fact, I doubt that boredom even exists in their cognition!
Curiosity is so innocent, and often overlooked as a useful tool for personal development. We tend to want to beat ourselves over the head with perfecting our existence on this earth. Instead of trying to be perfect at bettering yourself, try just being curious. What can you get curious about?
Makenzie Kelly is a Time Rescue ™ Expert and Avidly Curious about Time! An entrepreneur and paramedic she retired from a Multi-Million dollar business and give up a 6-figure salary to have more Time and Freedom! She blogs about Ultimate Lifestyle Design at the Freedom Venture Project ™ Blog.
Hi Steve,
What a nice list, I’m making a copy of it to use in times of need 🙂
.-= Parker Lee | howtomingle.com´s last blog ..9 Ways To Say I Like You =-.
I thought I would share some of my favorite curiosity questions which I first discovered through reading Tony Robbins’ materials: Asking the right questions with curiosity helps us focus our mind and emotions constructively.
Morning Power Questions:
1. What am I happy about in my life now?
What about that makes me happy? How does that make me feel?
2. What am I excited about in my life now?
What about that makes me excited? How does that make me feel?
3. What am I proud about in my life now?
What about that makes me proud? How does that make me feel?
4. What am I grateful about in my life now?
What about that makes me grateful? How does that make me feel?
5. What am I enjoying in my life right now?
What about that do I enjoy? How does that make me feel?
6. What am I committed to in my life right now?
What about that makes me committed? How does that make me feel?
7. Who do I love? Who loves me?
What about that makes me loving? How does that make me feel?
Evening power questions
1. What have I given today?
In what ways have I been a giver today?
2. What did I learn today?
3. How has today added to the quality of my life or how can I use today as an investment in my future?
Problem solving questions
1. What is great about this problem?
2. What is not perfect yet?
3. What am I willing to do to make it the way I want it?
4. What am I willing no longer to do in order to make it the way I want it?
5. How can I enjoy the process while I do what is necessary to make it the way I want it?
.-= Steve-Personal Success Factors´s last blog ..Do You Make These Mistakes On Your Quest for Luck? =-.
I may have a tincy bit of a problem getting curious when I am super pissed off. I tend to be a tad irrational in those circumstances.
.-= Jonny | thelifething.com´s last blog ..Time To Seriously Revolutionise Your Thinking And Kick Start Your Success Plans Hard =-.
Jonny– I’m sure that if we poll everyone on this blog, they would say the same thing, how can you be curious when you’re pissed? So my next question would be, what tools to you have to take yourself out of irritated energy level? 🙂
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
Curiosity is what we use to learn things when we’re young. Is so unfortunate that when we grow up we’re told not to be curious. Great post!
.-= Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..Beyond Average: A Guide for Making Your Best Work =-.
I agree Oscar! The fun thing about having children now is that I get to renew my focus about how kids see the world, and it is so fun and amazing. I don’t let people/them/society dictate the way I think anymore–my kids don’t, why should I?? Many adventures! Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
Curiosity is very powerful indeed. But this power can backfire: when you’re involved in a project, being too curious about unrelated subjects may set off your focus.
So use your curiosity with care because it may be very counterproductive.
.-= Bogdan Bocse´s last blog ..Two Quotes on Public Speaking =-.
Bogdan….are you referring to my entrepreneurial ADD?? LOL! Yes, I agree. For the most part my maturity has taught me how to stay focused, but I find that when I allow myself to act and think like a child, then I create bigger, bolder, or different ideas! Staying in the curious space all day long would get nothing done, so there is a time and place for it, that’s for sure! ~Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
Curiosity about the world is what drove my husband and I to leave our safe existence behind and travel. Now that we’re on the road, we find that genuine curiosity that manifests itself through asking lots of questions and being open to learning and new experiences really helps us grow and opens many doors for us.
.-= Audrey´s last blog ..Coming to America: Sharing Our Journey at Home =-.
Wow Audrey! Amazing, I can’t wait to read about your story! Curiosity is really fun, sometimes scary, but can lead to some amazing adventures such as yours!! Awesome! ~Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
I’ve seen a big difference between people who ask a lot of questions and people who ask the right questions. It’s about directing attention in a fruitful way.
.-= J.D. Meier´s last blog ..More Spring Cleanup on Sources of Insight – Simplifying the Experience =-.
Hey JD! Good point! Are there such a thing as right or wrong questions? 🙂 I just ask because when I try really hard to ask the right questions…I focus too much on getting things right, and I block my creativity, or my imagination. So I just simply get curious and let all the questions fly!! But I see what you mean about getting directed! All are important! Cheers! Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
I never have thought of this. Curiosity indeed is powerful once we use it right. In my case I unconsciously use my curiosity when I feel resistance about the unwanted events that I encounter in life. I used to asked: Why have I been resisting life? And this makes me curious about my true nature. 🙂
Hey Walter! Ahhh yes! Resistance! So important to make change, that’s awesome that you’re so aware that you can recognize resistance when it hits! You’re 10 steps ahead of most! Many adventures! Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
Hey Makenzie,
Good post! the power of curiosity such an underrated thing, if people asked more of the right questions they would get most of their endeavors taken care of on their own. But unfortunately, people don’t want to do that, they wanna throw their problems upon someone else and hope the answers they’re looking for will fall down from the sky…
Good write up,
–Parker
.-= Parker Lee´s last blog ..Get People To Like You. No, R-e-a-l-l-y, Like You. =-.
Thanks Parker! I have fallen victim to throwing my problems upon others and hoping that they get answered, and I found, it doesn’t work very well! So then I switched to plan B, and just started asking questions, even if they are the most ridiculous questions…you just never know what ideas will stick (kind of like business ideas huh?) Plus it’s kinda fun, and easy! Thanks for your feedback! ~Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
A great post.
I enjoyed reading it, and i believe that ill enjoy even more trying to implement it.
Already getting curious as to what’s gonna happen next !
:>
Thanks for the comment Ryan!! I’m curious too! You never really know what’s around the corner! That’s what makes life fun!! ~Makenzie
.-= Makenzie Kelly´s last blog ..The REAL Family Emergency =-.
Asking a lot of questions seems to be my strong point. I think it’s also important to ask better questions than most people. Questions which challenge others, makes them think and discover something in order to answer them.
.-= Eduard @ People Skills Decoded´s last blog ..Empathy vs. sympathy: the big distinction =-.
Hi there,
A very interesting read and grasping topic. I hadn’t realised that curiosity could be so powerful before! Thanks for posting
Yes, I have found that when I get curious, a lot of doors get opened! Thanks for the reply!! Makenzie