This month’s blog theme is the power of curiosity and asking questions.
“Why?” you ask. Because curiosity can lead to improvements, learning, and the fun of being attentive.
To grow in the mindset of curiosity, the best place to start is by hanging out with young children. Starting about age 3, their language skills catch up with their constant observation of people and experimentation with their environment.
One summer at our cottage, the grandchildren tried fishing off the dock.
Later that afternoon we fed them supper, and then relaxed for an adult meal. Four year old Caeden stood by my elbow, sampling a piece of my steak. Then he asked: “Grandma, why do fish and old people have whiskers on the sides of their faces?” I told him that I didn’t know! (But I checked my face in the mirror later...)
Perhaps Caeden’s penchant for asking questions will lead him to a wonderful career someday. Brian Grazer has produced many successful movies, including Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. For many years, he has arranged “curiosity conversations” with interesting and accomplished strangers, from whom he had benefited in his work and life.
He dedicates his book, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life
to his grandmother. He writes: “Starting when I was a boy, she treated every question I had as valuable. She taught me to think of myself as curious, a gift that has served me every day of my life.”
Listen to the children in your life. Become childlike yourself, full of wonder and questions. Have a curiosity conversation with life!
