“The important thing is not to stop questioning… Never lose a holy curiosity.”
Albert Einstein
Without curiosity, our daily tasks become routine, without meaning or importance. Curiosity helps us enjoy what we do and allows us to grow and learn new things. Curiosity is vital to thrive at work and maximize individual potential because it:
- Creates opportunities.
- Spurs us to take action.
- Exercises our minds.
- Makes life more exciting.
- Generates innovation.
- Produces better team performance.
- Results in new ideas.
Generally, children are more curious than adults. As we grow up, we slowly lose our desire to try new things and risk failure. School systems and most businesses aren’t conducive to being curious. We are raised with the idea that to get ahead is to be compliant and not “rock the boat”. Curiosity is lost in exchange for security and efficiency. However, there are ways to be curious, enjoy what we do, and get ahead at the same time.
Ways to be more curious:
- Look for things that interest you – When we work on things that interest us, it prompts excitement and generates the ability to perform at a higher level. Seek out tasks and responsibilities that interest you and pursue them.
- Try something new – When we get out of our comfort zone and try something new, it takes the monotony out of our everyday routine.
- Ask questions – Questions always bring up more questions and make for interesting conversation. We get to know one another better through questions making us a stronger team.
- Be a learner – Make learning a part of your daily routine. Take action to learn by reading and listening to podcasts and digital books. Sign up for classes in something you are interested in or have always wanted to learn.
- Be open-minded – Be empathetic: it is part of being open minded. Avoid being self-absorbed and strive to be self-aware. Think about how we perceive others and the way people perceive us. This opens the door to new perspectives and opportunities we may never have known unless we take action and look beyond ourselves.
Curiosity is a way of thinking, a mind shift. It starts with an internal desire to get outside of our comfort zone. Instead of surviving every day, we can thrive every day. Each day can be experienced differently by learning and attempting new things, meeting new people with different points of view and seeking to understand what’s going on around us.
Curiosity deserves to be a habit in our daily routine that will make work more enjoyable, less boring and increase our potential opportunities.
Where can you be more curious on the job that would help make work more enjoyable and interesting?