7 Ways to Flex Your Curiosity Muscles

"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

Here are 7 ideas to try to make your life bolder and more exciting, infused with curiosity. What is the payoff for growing in curiosity? When we embrace curiosity and make it part of our daily lives, we grow in joy and wonder. Most importantly, it will keep us forever young in the most important part of us, our spirit. As someone who just turned 50, curiosity is keeping me young and vital. One of my student’s parents humorously said, “You are pretty spry for a 50 year old.” Curiosity keeps me spry and energized.

1.     Utilize every moment of your day to fuel you curiosity.

Find time every day to stimulate your curiosity. While driving, I listen to Podcasts on a variety of subjects, everything from science, music, and literature to pop culture. It takes away the stress of driving as I learn and develop my curiosity. Podcasts that appeal to my curiosity most are: Radio Lab, TED Radio Hour, The Hidden Brain, American Radio Works (about Education), On Being, This American Life, The Savvy Psychologist, and Fresh Air. I even found a podcast for kids about science that my son and I love to listen to called Brains On. Their motto is “Brains On, where we are serious about curiosity.” An added bonus is that you can get almost all these podcasts for free from the iTunes store or directly from the podcast’s website.

Here is another example of using all the time in your day to increase your curiosity. If you are in line at the store, look around for details you may not have noticed or strike up a conversation with someone new. One day, in line at Wal-Mart, I started talking to the cashier by simply asking how she was doing. She said she was great but tired because this was her second job that paid for her son’s tutoring. When she gets really tired, she said she just reminded herself that this was all so her son could get into a good college. Immediately, I told her I was a teacher and we connected briefly but deeply. I left the store feeling uplifted and encouraged by her hard work and determination to help her son succeed, all fueled by a little curiosity.

2.     Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Fear is part of life, especially when we are trying something new. Be aware of the fear, but then do it anyway. Start with something small from this list and build up your confidence and strength.

A friend told me how his 75 year old mom just learned to water ski. I asked if she was afraid of breaking a hip and he said, “My Mom would never let that stop her from having fun.” What a great attitude! If we remind ourselves that there is a payoff just from trying something new and let our curiosity grow as we try these new adventures, we can alleviate the fear and not let it block us or keep us stuck in a “small” life.

3.     Take a break from electronics and try something new.

Turn off electronics for a portion of your day and try something new. Although the internet and computers can stimulate our curiosity, many of us get stuck in ruts with electronics. Curiosity is about breaking out of these ruts.  

Don’t be afraid to try something new, like: play a new sport, get into nature, or learn a musical instrument. All three of these activities can spark curiosity and invigorate our lives. I combine these activities as I mountain bike, exploring nature as I get some great exercise. On these bike trips, I get my best ideas about writing and life.

4.     Get to know someone better.

Have a conversation with someone you know, but ask new questions. There are fun lists of questions online at: http://www.humorthatworks.com/how-to/50-questions-to-get-to-know-someone/. Talk to a family member of old friend, using these questions or think of new things to ask, like questions about a person’s history or their hopes and dreams. Recently, my wife and I enjoyed a 3 hour lunch (without our son) and found new things about each other, deepening our relationship and love for each other.

5.     Take a free, online class at https://www.edx.org/.

Cultivate your curiosity by taking a free class online. You can take everything from astro-physics to psychology to gourmet cooking. I took a class on Positive Psychology and learned new concepts and skills. Most of these classes are not graded and for enrichment, so there is no pressure.

6.     Pleasure Read or join a Reading Group.

Before spring break one year, a 4^th grader said, “Mr. Griffith, have you read the Harry Potter series?” I told her that I hadn’t. She said, “Just try it for me and if you don’t like it, that is OK.” Well, I did try it and loved it. Now, I pleasure read a little every day and find new books to read on www.goodreads.com, sharing with friends. It is the highlight of my day and so much more engaging than TV. Right now, my wife and I are reading Harry Potter to my 6 year old son, passing on the gift of curiosity and the love of reading. 

Yesterday, the librarian at our school told me, “Reading children turn into thinking adults.” I would add “thinking and curious adults.” If you already read, join a reading group that meets locally or online. Explore fiction and non-fiction while making new and interesting friends.

7.     Write a novel in the month of November.

Use the National Novel Writing Month website at http://nanowrimo.org/ to write a novel next month. The website tells you to write a novel whether or not you think you are a good writer. Their method works. Entire schools have had students and teachers take a little time every day to write and they have completed the book by the end of November. Some popular and published authors have started by doing this exercise, like Sara Gruen, who wrote Water for Elephants as part of this project. Her novel went on to be a best-seller and they also made a movie from it. Even if you don’t get your novel finished or published, your curiosity will be sparked. On the web site, they even have a tab for “Inspiration” to help keep that inspiration and curiosity going.