I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. ~ Albert Einstein
By Brian Gazer w/Charles Fishman
My life is a mystery. It's my curiosity to solve my mystery that keeps me engaged in life. What is happening in our world is fascinating. Why people do what they do, why I do what I do... I will forever be curious.
Curiosity is my superpower because it helps me avoid getting sucked into a problem (and avoid the drama that comes with being consumed by the problem)... and instead look at the problem with curiosity. From this perspective, the problem because a fascinating mystery to solve.
This is currently on my list of top 10 books.
I discovered this book after the author was interviewed on Dan Harris' 10% Happier Podcast. I was drawn to it because of commonalities I heard Grazer share to 50 Interviews. 50 Interviews began because I was curious about why some people work for themselves and others don't. I discovered that entrepreneurs possessed a different set of beliefs than non-entrepreneurs and the project was all about discovering what those beliefs were!
In fact, most any book begins with curiosity, does it not? Isn't it also why businesses start? Entrepreneurs channel frustration into curiosity.
My notes/reflections and highlights follow...
You can't have sincerity, compassion, or trust without curiosity.
True love requires curiosity. He also shares that curiosity is the key to being a good boss.
Asking ourselves why we do (or don't do) something can open up an internal dialogue to reveal something previously unknown about ourselves.
Questions spark interesting ideas. They can create collaborative engagements and create or strengthen relationships. Questions can help us create new connections. This is one of the reasons why the Pop-up Forum is so effective.
Make the hardest call of the day first. This is similar to Brian Tracy's 'Eat the Frog' advice, however this is more specific to fear. Because we avoid what we fear, it's about getting it out of the way first thing. To not let the weight of whatever it is hang over your head. When you get it done, the weight is lifted and everything else on your agenda can more easily move forward.
Today, for me, right now, it's Quickbooks. I dread the admin work. And even deeper, it's the fear of rejection related to sending out invoices. It's part of my shadow that has some deep rooted psychic scars related to being a middle child with 3 bothers.
Because The Hardest Call is what we fear most, we end of doing a lot of trivial tasks that make up the 80% of the crap that only produces 20% of our results. We stay busy to face what we fear most.
When you attack head on what you fear most by addressing it, you build grit and build character. It builds confidence and reflects our determination.
My friend Becky is one of the most curious people I know. It allows her to live a much fuller life than most anyone I know. People love her because she takes a keen interest in their lives. She asks questions.
It's why we order new things on a menu, check out a new restaurant, or visit a new place. It's why we travel.
As I grow PubWriter, I see that curiosity is a huge aspect to it.
Whenever I approach a new prospect, my ability to generate interest is deeply rooted in my own curiosity about them and their needs.
Here are my takeaways. The 'What I Got's.'
2 other traits are essential: 1. You must pay attention to the answers and absorb what it is you are curious about (before getting hooked by another curiosity) 2. A willingness to act on what you discover. A fierce determination to discover the truth.
Curious creatures have a need to know.
How to choose good ideas (having good taste).
This may one of the most valuable chapters for me right now. As I build websites, curiosity is the catalyst to creating some cool features. But I also can find myself going down rabbit holes. You need to balance your curiosity with a bit of anti-curiosity. He comments that he says NO as often as he says YES. It ultimately goes back to the opportunity cost. Saying yes to one thing comes at the expense of another because there is not enough time to pursue every good idea. A big part of success comes down to chasing the right ideas.
Sidebar project - interviews with parents. It seems to me that every child would appreciate having a record to pass along to the generations that follow. I for one am super curious about the lives my direct ancestors lived and how it may have influenced my own life with the DNA they passed on to me. When one of my own authors interviewed my dad, I learned things I never knew about him!