I would like to share with you why it's important to possess a passionate curiosity for learning. Unfortunately, society has taught us that ‘quality’ education is the foundation of one’s success in life. This is far from true. Intelligence should not be measured by one’s grades in school. You should never have to prove how smart you are, or be defined by letters on a page. This way of thinking denotes a fixed mindset, otherwise known as an intellectual disease that creates a belief in people that intelligence, ability, and success are static qualities that cannot be changed (Edudemic, 2014).
Renowned astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, while delivering the commencement address at the University of Massachusetts Amherst said, “Your grades, whatever is your GPA, rapidly becomes irrelevant in your life. I cannot begin to impress upon you how irrelevant it becomes. Because in life, they aren’t going to ask you your GPA…if a GPA means anything, it’s what you were in that moment — and it so does not define you for the rest of your life.” I am not saying that education is a bad thing, however it is not the only path towards mastery. I believe that a curious mind is a precursor for a life of passion, success, and lifelong learning.
Some of the most groundbreaking discoveries that have come about in human history have been the result of a individuals’ burning curiosity to think of out the box and explore and experience new things. For example, Elizabeth Holmes, who has been given the title of ‘the youngest female billionaire in the world’, and is revolutionizing medicine, dropped out of Stanford to pursue her dreams (Haltiwanger, 2015).
The path of true mastery requires that you adopt a growth mindset, which is a passion for learning, a desire to question the norms, and a curiosity to step out of the zone of comfort in order to achieve greatness. Curiosity has been defined by researchers as the joy of exploration, a hidden force that drives learning, critical thinking, and reasoning (Price-Mitchell, 2015). In the words of the late Steve Jobs, “Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.”
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Below are three reasons why it's important to possess a passionate curiosity for learning:
1. It’s good for your health and happiness.
The vast majority of people in the world strive to life a life of happiness. Cultivating and exercising an innate sense of curiosity is one of the best ways to experience happiness. You may be wondering, “How is this possible?” Curiosity creates an openness to new experiences, which lays the foundation for greater opportunities to experience joy and fulfillment in life. Research has shown curiosity to be associated with higher levels of positive emotions, lower levels of anxiety, more satisfaction with life, and greater psychological wellbeing.
In the book, Curious?: Discover The Missing Ingredient To A Fulfilling Life, the author writes that, “Curious explorers are comfortable with the risks of taking on new challenges.” Oftentimes, many of us stumble upon happiness, as a result of stepping out of our comfort zones (Weingus, 2014). When we cultivate curiosity in life, it provides us with experiences that allow us to discover who we truly are so that we can step into our power and become masters of our lives.
2. It ignites discovery.
When you live from a place of passionate curiosity, you plant the seed for unleashing the power of your imagination. Some of the great minds, like Einstein and Edison, let their minds wander on purpose. It was their passionate curiosities that allowed them to unleash their potential towards the discovery of some of the most amazing inventions the world has ever seen. Einstein said it best – “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
Dr. Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at University College London, believes that, “People with higher curiosity quotient (CQ) are more inquisitive and open to new experiences…they tend to generate many original ideas and are counter-conformist.” They have nuanced thinking and they’re good at producing simple solutions for complex problems (Leung, 2014). This research proves that curiosity is just as important as intelligence, or IQ.
3. It gives you a sense of purpose.
Curiosity and lifelong learning are the beginning points to discovering your sense of purpose in life. When you nurture and develop the things that make you feel alive inside, you open the doors to a world of possibilities. You may not have a clear vision for your purpose in life yet, and that is OK. That is the beauty of learning and unlearning what works and what doesn’t. In the words of Stephen McCranie, “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” You are probably curious about a lot of things, and it is those interests that will drive you forward to take massive action. What keeps you up at night and makes you excited to get out of bed every day? Pursue those interests, because that is what will set you on the path towards mastery in all areas of your life.
These are just some of the reasons why it's important to possess a passionate curiosity for learning. Masters refuse to live a life of mediocrity. They are hungry to grow and evolve. You owe it to yourself and the world to be the best person that you can be. If you want to achieve mastery, you need to commit to lifelong learning. This is the highest form of self-improvement. In today’s world, the only thing that is constant is change, and the reality is that, if you are not growing and evolving, you are dying.
Michel Legrand said it best – “The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.” Observe everything with an open mind, stay curious, embrace change, and never stop learning. Mastery requires that you do so.
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