Why curiosity is the fuel to your personal growth

Every one of us has that fellow either in our family, relatives, or friends. The ?know-it-all“ person, who has an answer to every question, no matter how deep or superficial and the second a discussion arises about a subject, he/she is passionately taking the lead to sell you his/ her opinion.

I was never really annoyed by these individuals, while my husband always kept a healthy distance to safeguard his joy and curiosity. I did not recognize a mindset of always knowing it all can actually be the enemy of growth, because if we know it all, there is nothing left to learn.

About four years ago, when we moved to the US with my spouse as a result of an exciting new job opportunity and dove right into the hustle and bustle of New York City from Stuttgart, a conservative, introverted down to earth industrial city of Germany, something changed slowly. I did not recognize it earlier in the process. Still, somehow subconsciously, I left my ?old identity“ behind, which allowed me to discover the world of curiosity, passion, and personal growth.

When you leave a job, in which you are an absolute subject matter expert in all its dimensions, where your word is respected like “the law“, your proposals followed as the ?best path“ and your relationships are a rock-solid result of years of collaboration, joint sweat, and tears and you start from scratch in a new industry, three things happen simultaneously:

• You find yourself in the midst of an identity crises
• You develop a genuine curiosity for new ideas and realities
• You grow

The root cause of identity crises

I will put in straightforward terms without going into an in-depth psychological definition debate based on personal experience. In essence, the root cause of an identity crisis is the absence of the ?known“ and the discomfort that comes along. It is a balancing act between the pressure of wanting to figure it all out yesterday and acknowledging the power of practicing patience. It is the fear of making mistakes and then reminding yourself of your toolbox in skills and experiences you can apply at any given problem. It is the divorce of identity from a physical role as a daughter, wife, or boss and the transformation of a new character based on values aligned with your purpose. And purpose, another romantic word many of us struggle with today. We associate it with joy, happiness, and fulfillment; however, the path to discovering your purpose is seldom a romantic journey of bliss you can achieve with a clear ?action plan". 

Curiosity, the foundation of growth

?Let’s take a look at the in-depth meaning of curiosity (Wikipedia “curiosity,” n.d.) 

“Curiosity (from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōsus (careful, diligent, curious), akin to cura - care) is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans and other animals. Curiosity is heavily associated with all aspects of human development, in which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill.

The term curiosity can also be used to denote the behavior or emotion of being curious, in regard to the desire to gain knowledge or information. Curiosity as a behavior and emotion is attributed over millennia as the driving force behind not only human development, but developments in science, language, and industry.”

When you drop your old identity and your preconceived notions on how the world operates, you create space and energy for expansion. It is like the speed and battery performance of a new iPhone without all the ?clutter and stuff“ we collect over time. Ready to question, research, try and learn free of ego.

The beauty of curiosity is the ability to wonder, absorb, and develop new ideas by taking risks with a growth mindset. Making sense of your present and past and connecting the dots in hindsight. 

It was Albert Einstein, who shared the inspiring quote, “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious”. If Albert Einstein, one of histories smartest physicists, with his extraordinary contributions to the quantum theory, was able to keep a passionate curiosity until the end of his life, I believe we all can hold a fair share too. 

It was curiosity that pushed me through the edge of giving up my past for a new future and the thousand and one lessons I have learned along the way. It is the curiosity that keeps us GROWING EVERY SINGLE DAY…