5 Reasons to Develop a Curious Mindset

Curiosity is the Doorway to Success

Curiosity is the fuel that drives us to achieve our goals. Self-driven and self-motivated people are always curious about finding solutions to reach their goals and they do so by exploring ways and means which is realized through their curious mind-set.

It is what separates a successful person from an unsuccessful one. Curiosity can either lead us on the path of meaningful pursuit to accomplish our goals or it can push us downhill into an abyss of senseless grapevine and unproductive gossip.

Curiosity is an important trait of successful people. If we look at all successful and thriving people in the world, Curiosity is the one attribute which is common to all.

Here are 5 reasons to develop a curious mind-set which can lead us to a path of being productive and successful:

1. A curious mind is an active mind

People who are curious are observant to details which otherwise normal people miss out. This means that in their pursuit to achieve their goals they perform a thorough research and then objectively come to conclusions as opposed to those who just accept the status quo to decide what can or cannot be done.

2. A curious mind is an open mind

People who are curious are more accepting to challenging ideas. They always look from fresh perspective, and, in the process, often come across path breaking ideas to achieve their goals.

Albert Einstein had famously said “The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size”.

Through his extensive travels all over India, Swami Vivekananda became the first religious leader of India who openly declared that the real cause of India’s downfall was the neglect of masses. He devoted his entire life to spread the message of imparting secular knowledge to improve economic conditions and spiritual knowledge to infuse faith and sense of morality in the masses.

3. A curious mind is not bored easily

People who are curious always tend to find things exciting as they learn new things. This keeps them self-driven and self-motivated. Such people have the ability to become powerful role models for those around them and also have the ability to achieve results despite challenges.

Curious people often find purpose in their pursuits and through relentless questioning they often emerge as strong leaders even in the absence of titles. Charles Darwin was one such curious person. His thirst for knowledge was so relentless that he used to write letters to scholars around the world about trees, plants, animals and birds just because he had to know!

4. A curious mind sees possibilities in every challenge

People who are curious don’t give up easily when times are tough. They are always eager to explore solutions and ways to come out as winner in every situation. Sir Isaac Newton, instead of accepting that the apple fell from the tree on the ground, questioned why did the apple fall from the tree on the ground and not fly off in any other direction. It was because of his curiosity that he eventually gave us the Laws of Motion and concept of gravity.

5. A curious mind dreams relentlessly

People who are curious do not limit their imagination. They dream the most impossible dreams and then actively pursue them to make it a reality. Marie Curie who is known as the first woman to receive Nobel Prize and was the first woman Professor at the University of Paris. She is known for her discovery of Radiation, Polonium and Radium. Her early life is known to be full of struggle and yet her pursuit of knowledge made her a trail blazer during the times when it was not expected of women to succeed in the field of science.

In the context of the modern world, there is an emerging great divide between the curious and the non –curious people at workplace. The twenty first century economies reward those sets of people who are curious to find innovative solutions to problems, efficiently and swiftly.

In the words of the famous writer Kevin Kelly “Machines are for the answers, Humans are for the questions”. Modern workplaces are only rewarding to those aspirants who keep their flame of curiosity burning to ask intelligent questions and discover path breaking results. Curious people are good problem solvers. Ultimately that is what every organization expects from their employees. Such employees are able to break down complex problems into achievable solutions. Building and Developing a curious mind-set is a critical trait if you wish to be successful in any field.