don’t ignore your curiosity.
You sit down for learning. Pen and paper ready — or keyboard and note-taking app if you are more of a digital learner. You consume content. You let it sit in your mind, think, and try to understand. Out of nowhere, you stumble and ask yourself: “What? Why does it work like this?”
This is your curiosity kicking in. What do you do in these situations?
Do you disregard it? Do you ignore it? Do you move on fast?
Or do you take action? Follow your curiosity? Maybe keep track of it?
“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” ―William Arthur Ward
Feeling a rush of curiosity is a great hint and guide to learn what is meaningful to us. Don’t disregard curiosity. Our feeling of curiosity is a great source of energy to go and explore, to search and understand, to reflect and apply.
Curiosity has a lot of facets and purposes. Curiosities may be seeds of our passion. Curiosities might help us build specific skills and knowledge. Curiosities may direct us towards what matters to us.
Because of their power, be careful and don’t let curiosities disappear. Curiosities are daydreams, abstract ideas, and vague thoughts floating around in our mind. If we don’t take care of these vague curiosities, they will just float away. But holding on to them in our mind is not an option.
So, either deal with your curiosities right away if you have time, or keep track of them by writing them down. If you write them down, you can take time later to deal with them. This allows you to simply focus on what is in front of you in the moment.
If you want to use the power of curiosity but you have problems letting your curiosity come up, try asking small questions. Big questions on their own can be intimidating. Use small questions and get into the habit of asking “Why?”. These small questions will engage your mind. They will trigger your curiosity. They will activate your problem-solving mind.
Let’s give curiosities the time and attention they deserve.
