I Gotta Create!: 31 Days of Gratitude: Curiosity

"The important thing is not to stop questioning."

~ Albert Einstein

Curiosity is one of our greatest gifts,

and it is essential to creativity.

Children are natural 'curiosity machines.'

Yet that curiosity can begin to dim when you are taught that there is only one right answer to the test,

so to speak.

There are indeed times for precision.

But if the "one-right-answer" model is your predominate repetitive experience,

you can lose touch with that wonderfully open,

exploratory,

adventurous,

"not knowing" frame of reference

that allows you to be a 'discoverer.'

If you want adventure, if you want discovery...

especially in those parts of your life that seem old hat

or where you think you know all the answers,

you gotta remember

how to Look

with new eyes.

You gotta give your "curiosity muscle" a workout.

There's nothing idle about it.

Curiosity is the deep intelligence that temporarily suspends the 'known' in favor of probing into what may lie just beneath that.

Here are a couple techniques:

Why, Why, Why?

Take a topic, situation or something that you think you know about. Ask yourself the series of "Why" questions

~ you know, like kids do!

{Only this time, you won't use the cop-out "Because I said so!"}

Ask and answer and keep asking why of each answer... until you arrive at the question for which you really don't have an answer. Observe how that feels and just stand on the edge of that wonderment for a minute...

Actress

Pretend that you don't know the people in your household, but don't let them know you are pretending this. Treat them as if they are characters in a movie or novel that suddenly appeared in your home, and all you know about them is you have a destiny together. Play your role by trying to find out everything you can about their day, their thoughts, feelings, what makes them tick, what they like, what they'd like to change...

...

I am grateful that life is ever fresh and new and that I can stay tuned to that by tapping into curiosity.

I enjoy that zip of excitement and expectancy that comes from a curious frame of mind.

I am grateful that I am designed to continually grow and learn.