Purposeful Curiosity

A hindering fear almost always follows a what-if approach to anything new. To fully engage your curiosity, learn to distinguish between valid fears and unsubstantiated ones. For those who engage in life-threatening pursuits, much as Canadian adventurer and storm chaser George Kourounis does, curiosity itself can be the best way to overcome fear. “T

Start by gaining a broader understanding of the new area by reviewing other people’s work online. Knowledge that has already been collected and disseminated by others has two key benefits. First, you understand the state of the field by looking at what others are doing, and you can build on that to make further improvements. Ask two questions: What

Daniel Willingham, “Why Aren’t We Curious About the Things We Want to Be Curious About?,” New York Times, October 18, 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/opinion/sunday/curiosity-brain.html.

The challenge is to think about hard questions that few ask—and fewer answer. The curious are no strangers to challenging the status quo, and they sometimes do things that upset the rules of society.

Think of this book as a curiosity manifesto and a practical manual designed to help individuals, teams, or organizations channel their curiosity to move ahead in their careers and lives, solve fascinating problems, and innovate.

Take a few moments to imagine your best future self. Then ask yourself, “What will I gain if I pursue this journey?” This exercise will work better if you think about gains in a specific area of your life, such as your career, relationships, or health.

Getting psyched about a curiosity project requires a sense of urgency. You need to tap into your sense of yearning to explore what you find meaningful, and you must remind yourself that this is a time-limited quest. You only live once, after all. When others say, “It cannot be done,” the curious respond, “If we start now, we might be able to do it.

Turn students from passive recipients of information to curious owners of their learning journey, advised John Underkoffler, the previously mentioned cofounder of Oblong Industries. We must encourage students to delve deeper into topics that spark their curiosity. Curating relevant information will enhance their confidence and incite curiosity in o

Fear of the Unknown Starting a journey with an unclear path and an unfamiliar destination requires you to cede complete control, because while you know where you are starting from, it’s seldom clear how you will get here. Given that our aversion to the unknown is hardwired into us biologically, it is not unreasonable that we cling to the environmen