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Growth is stimulated by asking questions
Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not – George Bernard Shaw
How do we cultivate curiosity? – Here are ten suggestions
1.Believe that you can be curious – The number one enemy of curiosity is “LIMITED BELIEFS.” “I can’t, I’m not good enough, They are better, I am not smart enough, I am not a natural,,,,, The single biggest difference between people who believe they can’t versus curious growing people is the belief that they can learn, grow and change. Give your permission to be curious!
2.Have a beginner’s mind-set – Peter Drucker once declared that his single greatest asset in being a business coach was to be ignorant and ask questions
3.Make WHY your favorite word – Here is another gem from Einstein, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.” Author Brian Tracy states that a major stimulant to creative thinking is focused questions. There is something about a well-worded question that often penetrates to the heart of the matter and triggers new ideas and insights.
4.Spend time with other curious people – Curiosity is not about formal education – it can be – but is not necessary. Find someone with an attitude of openness and inquiry and start hanging our with them Author Jerry Hirshberg in his book The Creative Priority: Putting Innovation to Work in Your Business states:
“No one in a corporation sets out to stifle creative thought. Yet, a traditional bureaucratic structure, with its need for predictability, linear logic, conformance to accepted norms, and the dictates of the most recent “long-range” vision statement, is a nearly perfect idea killing machine. People in groups regress toward the security of the familiar and the well regulated. Even creative people do it. It avoids ambiguity, the fear of unpredictability, the threat of the unfamiliar, and the messiness of intuition and human emotion.
5.Learn something new every day – One of he best ways to remain curious is to learn something new everyday. Start your day off with a curiosity that “I will learn something new today!” Successful people seize the day to grow and learn instead of just accepting the day and how things turn out. It does no good to simply learn something new without quality time to think and apply.
6.Partake in the fruit of failure – Do not view failure with the attitude that says, “I will never do that again!” See failure as progress – you cannot grow if you do not fail. Fail fast, Learn fast, Get up and try faster – this attitude leads to growth and success.
7.Stop looking for the right answer – If there is a “RIGHT ANSWER” to every question in your life you might be stagnated your growth and success. Ask WHY? No idea is perfect! All perfect ideas can be improved upon. Have you ever heard this statement: “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” This is a phrase used by people who stopped growing. Replace that phrase with these questions: If it ain’t broke, how can we make it better? If it ain’t broke when is it likely to break in the future? If is ain’t broke how long will it serve as the world changes? Author Roger van Oech in his book, A Whack On The Side of The Head writes, Almost every advance in art, cooking medicine, agriculture, engineering, politics, education and design has occurred when someone challenged the rules and tried another approach.
8.Get over yourself – If you are going to ask questions and allow yourself to fail, then accept the fact you will look foolish at times. My response – GET OVER YOURSELF! If self image is your motivator we probably would still be in caves! Keep a child-like curiosity fresh in your daily routine.
9.Get out of the box – Thomas Edison stated “There are no rules around here – we are trying to accomplish something.” Ralph Waldo Emerson states that all of life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. Good ideas exist everywhere but you will never see them if you do not get outside the box of your life. Getting outside the box requires an abundance mind-set. Unfortunately, inside the box thinkers have a poverty or scarcity mind-set. Average people ask “Can I do this?” This question is based upon the circumstances they see. Abundant thinkers ask different questions – How can I…? This simple change forces you to think differently.
10.Enjoy your life – Tom Peters in his book, In Search of Excellence writes, “The race will go to the curious, the slightly mad, and those with an hot passion for learning and daredevilatry. Simply stated get outside the box, learn fast, fail faster, and get up and try harder.
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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!
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