This book offers the tools to replicate their successful journeys. Each chapter covers a building block: 1. Uncover your itch to know: We can learn to find an itch and cultivate it. By focusing on a purpose that gets us up in the morning, and with a conviction that everything is understandable, we can transform any possible interest into an

Purposeful curiosity helps steer inquisitiveness toward goals that we care about and that give meaning to everything we do.

Whether it is accomplishing a personal goal, such as graduating from college, or achieving a professional milestone, like getting the job you’ve always wanted, starting your own business, or launching a new product, you should feel grateful for everything that you have accomplished. But, like Jemison, you shouldn’t let it end there. Your best

What does pushing boundaries look like in practice? We can think about it in three ways. First, we’ll want to address hard problems or seize exciting opportunities. Second, we identify an outer limit and aim to disprove that a boundary exists. That is, we go where no one has gone before. Finally, and bringing points one and two together, we’ll look

Be brave. Set yourself the challenge of having a conversation with one stranger every week (e.g., a dog owner, gym classmate, coffee barista).

Purposeful curiosity is a love affair, not a one-night stand. It’s a big world, and there are many places where no one has been; there are still many discoveries to be made in every area of study. You could live until you are one hundred, and you’d still just be finding your way around. Being purposefully curious is about being constantly

Third, ask open-ended questions to get your responder to go deeper. Closed-ended questions, or questions with yes-or-no answers, neither encourage conversation nor spark new ideas in your respondent. Think like a journalist, which in a sense you are, and ask the questions a reporter would ask: What, who, why, when, where, and how questions push the

Purpose is a catalyst; it keeps you motivated even when you are struggling or facing mounting problems. The emotional connection to a personally meaningful cause or pursuit makes immersion natural. Everyone I talked with possessed an astonishing sense of a higher purpose: a pressing raison d’être. Purpose moves them toward their goals, helping them

Use a five-step strategy to make the curiosity journey work: 1. Set boundaries. 2. Take small steps to build a rhythm. 3. Cut down the intermediaries so that you experience the world through your own (or your team’s) eyes. Get up close and personal to foster direct experiences with all your senses. Virtual replicas can never replace the real thing.