What does it mean to be curious? Why is curiosity significant? How will being curious aid me on the journey of being more? If these questions came to mind reading this title, you’re well on your way. If they did not, that’s fine. This piece will provide a starting point for mastering the journey of being more’s paramount first skill.
Defining Curiosity
To the first question, what does it mean to be curious? Furthermore, what is curiosity? For both, there is a pragmatic Merriam-Webster definition, and there is an esoteric Becoming Polymathic one. We’ll define the latter.
Curiosity is the resulting trait of being curious, which is underpinned by a desire to absorb and connect as much knowledge as humanly possible. Historically, there have been several colloquialisms portraying these important, positive concepts in a negative light such as “curiosity killed the cat” and every iteration of “don’t ask questions.” These are ignorant, small-minded statements spoken by pompous authoritarians. As such, they should be immediately removed from your vocabulary.
Puzzles and Mysteries – An Analogy of Curiosity
To the second question, and to paint the pompous authoritarians in a more positive light, we must first compare a pair of lifelong past times – working on puzzles and solving mysteries.
Puzzles have determinant outcomes (the picture on the box) needing to be solved within a specific set of parameters. Replace “picture on the box” with a personal or professional problem, and it doesn’t take long to conclude the majority of our lives are spent in this realm. The methods to reach the outcomes are taught in our schooling and early professional careers. They iterate as we age, but do not deviate far from the originals.
Mysteries result from unsolvable puzzles. Their solutions are indeterminant. They illuminate the shortcomings of old methods and require fresh perspective to advance them. Fresh perspective can only originate from curiosity, which is viewed in these situations as a challenge to old methods, which is risk, and the human brain is wired to avoid risk. Ergo, the authoritarians are merely reacting instinctually.
How the Brain Filters Risk
At the highest of high levels, our brain exists as a filtering mechanism protecting us from risk. In primal days, that risk came in the form of saber tooth cats, hunger, or weather. Today, it is in the form of social ridicule, financial difficulty, and a dead iPhone.
To combat these risks, our brain has constructed one of nature’s most exhaustive filtering mechanisms: intaking 11 million pieces of information every second, but only allowing our eyes to see 40-50. It also creates the hormone adrenaline to sharpen our senses and react quickly should the risks manifest. Put a lot of these brains together in a fiscal economy, and you see why there are extensive systems designed to eliminate risk from businesses, governments, and individuals.
Breakthrough by Association
Why should we fight biology? Most people don’t bother. However, we are here to transcend most people. We must persist.
At a superficial level, being more curious will make you a more interesting person. You’ll have a greater desire to learn and as a result you will voluntarily pursue information, which by default will make you more interesting. Not only will you be a more welcomed guest at social gatherings, you will also begin to notice the compounding effects of learning. Despite its complexities, the brain’s primary mechanism is simple – association of newly acquired knowledge with previously acquired. The more knowledge one possesses, the more likely these associations will be made.
Becoming Polymathic – A Story of Breakthrough by Association
How Becoming Polymathic came to be is a story of associations. While writing a “History of Search Engines” blog for my failed SEO agency, I came across Charles Babbage and his protégé Ada Lovelance. Babbage was widely depicted as a “polymath”, Lovelance a childhood prodigy.
It confirmed a trend of significant individuals in search engine history possessing skills in multiple areas. Around this time, I’d also begun researching Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably the most famous polymath. The term fixated in my head, I associated it with great impact, then coupled great impact to great success, then connected that reasoning with my enjoyment for writing about search engines compared to my displeasure for SEO consulting. BOOM! Becoming Polymathic was born.
I digress to make an important point. Yes, being curious comes with risk. Yes, its impact won’t be immediate. However, as with any pursuit, over time, and with deliberate practice, it will return in droves. With that, below are five principles for mastering curiosity.
Five Principles for Mastering Curiosity
- Let your Interests Guide You: Start with things you are genuinely, uncategorically interested in, irrespective of social norms. They can be as basic as “why is the sky blue?” or as deep as “what is my brain’s filter preventing me from seeing?” Start somewhere, anywhere, as long as it’s interesting to you.
- Be Willing to Try New Things: New things – books, ideas, sports, foods, etc. – are the building blocks of knowledge on which a brain’s associations are based. Give yourself as many opportunities to connect this new knowledge to the trillions of bits already floating around that your brain won’t reveal to you.
- Accept the Unknown: Curiosity is a rabbit hole. You will not know where your interests may lead, but you must let them guide you. Your brain is not linear, so no matter how much linearity and systemization surrounds you, you need to fight it and agree to a free-flowing process. Said another way, you must be open to the possibility where you’ll end up could be very different from where you actually will.
- Take Comfort in Asking a Breadth of Questions: “There are no stupid questions.” I genuinely believe that, and you need to also. You must be equally comfortable with asking painfully obvious along with ambiguous questions. They are the only tool necessary to act on your curiosity.
- Allow Your Brain Space to Think: Whether it’s taking a walk, or creating a dedicated thinking space, you must allow your brain to do what it does best. If it’s constantly occupied by menial risk prevention, it cannot make the associations requisite for learning and, potentially, breakthrough moments.
Bonus Principle
- Don’t Be Afraid to Spend Money on Your Curiosity: When Leonardo Da Vinci wanted to study birds, he first went to a bird merchant and bought one. You should take a similar approach when exploring your curiosities. Buy that book, take that class, invest in your pursuit. If nothing else, the purchase will give you a much-needed dopamine spike.
I started this piece by stating curiosity is the keystone skill to the journey of being more. Although developing it might take an unorthodox approach and it does not have predetermined levels of mastery, it can be practiced, sharpened, and pay off exponentially. You don’t need to be Da Vinci or Einstein, but you do need to let your genuine interests guide you down the rabbit hole. Don’t wait to take that first step…
Be More.
Become Polymathic.
Quote of the Week: “When you run into something interesting, drop everything else and study it…The feeling of being interested can act as a kind of neurological signal, directing us to fruitful areas of inquiry.” – B.F. Skinner, American Psychologist, Founder of Behaviorism