What if you were Curious?

Are You Curious?

The first post that I wrote when I started this blog was Top Ten Ways to Not to Follow Your Passion.  It was written a bit tongue in cheek of course because we all want to follow our passion, right?  Isn’t it just the obstacles, real or imagined that keep us from making our life meaningful and passion-filled?

Since that post I’ve found that the answer to the last question is yes and no. For those who know what their passion is, it is often the obstacles of time, money, mindset and self-confidence that stifle our creativity and hold us hostage to a lack of progress in turning dreams to reality.

But what if you don’t know what your passion is? What if you don’t have a dream or a vision to capture your attention and propel you forward?  Are you destined to a life as a voyeur, living through the passions of others?

I’ve come to realize that the answer to the last question is a resounding, NO! Instead it is a matter of changing our mindset and how we look at our world of options and opportunities. What if recognizing your passion isn’t a matter of finding something that is lost? What if it’s more of an adventure or a journey?  If you change your mindset, would that then change your approach?  Perhaps you would leave behind the determined find-it-or-die-trying mentality and instead replace it with a playful, wondering mentality. What if instead of trying to fill a void and find the one right answer, you were simply, patiently investigative and curious?

In the current unsettled times of furloughs, layoffs and a lack of security that we are all faced with in our careers, many are adjusting to a new normal. For some that means working remotely for an undetermined time. For some it means waiting to get back to a job environment that is shut down or opening with new routines and requirements. And some are faced with determining a new direction or career altogether. How will you approach your current circumstances?

What if instead of worried, or anxious or scared, if you were curious? You might:

  • Try out new things that seem interesting to you without expecting that you would be immediately skillful or successful at them.
  • Tweak your mindset so that you look at the world in terms of possibilities instead of as static and predestined.
  • Look inward and assess your natural talents and abilities.  Then apply those skills in your world.
  •  Try out new and challenging things even when they make you feel nervous, uncertain or downright scared.

Does this sound exciting?  scary?  silly?  wasteful of your time?  I think many times we make this whole notion of finding and following our passion too mysterious and woo-woo.  What if all  you had to do was resurrect that child-like curiosity that we all naturally experienced when we were young? What if being curious was the prerequisite to being passionate?

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betsyLynne is one of my favorite people. She forced me to make some introspective decisions – when I least wanted to and changed the trajectory of my career. She is a professional coach, author and one of the coolest people I know. ~Betsy Mathews

1 Comments

  1. […] Develop a research plan–  Now that you have a general description of what you would like your dream job to look like, begin to research the possibilities.  What is a field that excites you? What career piques your interest?  What career meets the criteria on the yes list?  Develop a possibilities list and begin researching companies or businesses online.  If your plan is to start your own business, find similar businesses that model what you hope to create.  Once you have identified several options contact the business and set up a reverse interview.  Meet either in person or on the phone and find out everything that you can about the career.  This is not when you ask for a job, you are still in the research phase so ask away about everything you want to know. However, be aware that this could turn out to be a potential employer, so be sure to leave the impression of a curious and competent worker. […]

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