Curiosity is one of the most fundamental characteristics of development, growth, and creativity. While we are all born curious - a fact I am reminded of daily by my 4-year-old son’s numerous “why” questions - as adults, we tend to lose our curiosity unless we actively cultivate it.
Here are 3 tips for cultivating your curiosity:
1️⃣ Ask Questions
Don’t accept things at face value; instead, attempt to go deeper. Ask questions, such as: Why does this datapoint deviate from the monthly average? How is this metric calculated? Where is the supplier set in our system? Use the “Five ‘W’s” of journalism: “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where,” and “Why,” in addition to “How” to that effect.
2️⃣ Maintain an Open Mind and Don’t Let Your Ego Get in the Way
Keeping an open mind is the other side of the curiosity coin. Curiosity will lead you down a route where you may need to relearn or unlearn, and you should be receptive to the prospect of this happening. In addition, we need to actively stop our ego from interfering with our curiosity. Acknowledging ignorance or asking for clarification requires us to be vulnerable.
3️⃣ Learn outside your direct Space
While most of your time will be spent in areas that are adjacent to your space, allocate some portion of your time to wander off to unrelated spaces. This not only feeds your curiosity but may open up new insights for you as you bring these disparate worlds together. Bill Gates is someone I aspire to in this regard. An example of this point, is I recently read a book about Sleep.