Where is Curiosity Taking You?

Trust Your Gut

Is anyone else, like me, constantly wondering about curiosity and contentment? The big question is, will we ever have enough of either?

Take my hand and join me on a deep dive into curiosity.

First off, I should tell you: I might be uniquely unqualified to tackle most of what I write about. I’m not a neuroscientist, psychologist, programmer, or gamer. I’m an enthusiast for professionalism, and communication in all forms, and a wise elder who’s learned a ton from decades of entrepreneurial projects and engaging stories with thousands of executives, founders, and well-intentioned boards of directors.

This is as much a learning journey for me as it is for you. Close colleagues and new subscribers know this about me: I actively seek out the happiest, wisest, and healthiest people. You are the reason I keep writing every day and publishing online, wherever adults search on terms like professional, communications, giftedness, transformations, and life lessons.

Curiosity Commander

Curiosity holds a commanding position in all conversations and literature about communication, professionalism, and exceptionally talented adults.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff writes about curiosity attractors in her Ness Labs articles.

Though you may not realize it, curiosity attractors reveal deeper truths about who you are and what is most meaningful to you. They offer insights into your past experiences, current creative drive, and even glimpses into potential career paths you may want to explore.

Le Cunff identifies three types of curiosity most relevant to curiosity attractors: epistemic curiosity, empathic curiosity, and diversive curiosity.

Because these curiosity attractors are mental tugs-of-war, I suggest you read her entire article—several times—to better understand the millions of signals running the programs in your brain. Each new signal, each nanopiece of information, reprograms your mind.

“We feel pulled to certain concepts because of a desire to understand the world (epistemic curiosity) and bond with others who share our interests (empathic curiosity). There’s also excitement just from the novelty of the topic (diversive curiosity),” Le Cunff explains.

Is it any wonder we struggle with awareness and attention to what matters most?

Here’s a high-level overview of these three types of curiosity:

• Epistemic curiosity: Your desire to learn about the world and resolve gaps in your understanding. It motivates you to read non-fiction books, conduct research, or enroll in classes to master new skills.
• Empathic curiosity: Your interest in connecting with others and understanding their perspectives and experiences. It drives you to ask questions to understand how friends think and feel, get to know strangers or consume media to gain insight into other ways of life.
• Diversive curiosity: That fleeting urge to explore something new just for the sake of novelty, with no clear goal in mind

Curiosity and Contentment Theories I’m Testing and Observing

What compels us to revisit specific ideas, topics, and creative projects time and again, while others that seem equally interesting on paper don’t capture our attention? Do you have fascinations you can’t seem to shake? You know, those soft obsessions and distant creative projects that linger in the back of your mind, even when you try to ignore them?

Here are a few theories I’m testing on myself and observing in others:

1. Nobody else is me: Don’t get tied up in the success stories of others. Engage with those who fascinate or attract your awareness, and see what you learn. Is it better to live according to someone else’s roadmap or your inner compass? Is it true that everything you ever needed has always been inside of you?
2. I get to choose some levels of pain: If you can handle the pain of discipline, you don’t have to deal with the pain of disappointment.
3. We are not entitled to anything: You must work each day to create and figure out what works for you.
4. Don’t give advice: Instead, let your curiosity fill your day with questions about life’s great mysteries—the origins of human consciousness, the enormity of love, the lessons of nature, and the meaning of it all. Even if unsolvable, these questions connect you to fellow curious minds across the ages.
5. My unconscious is smarter than me: Neuroscience research shows we are most creative when the brain is in alpha wave mode, which happens in the shower, walking the dog, during meditation, while journaling, and daydreaming.

Contentment matters most to me now that I’m done with toxic situations and irritating people. It seems to come down to four elements: 1) progress on what you’re pursuing; 2) control over what you’re doing; 3) connections to other people; and 4) being part of something bigger than yourself.

Credit Johnhain, Pixabay

It’s amazing, even miraculous, how much I get done every day because my brain won’t stick to writing for more than 15 minutes. It’s planning, daydreaming, predicting, worrying, reflecting, and anticipating—anything but what I’m supposed to be doing. Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found we spend 47% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what’s going on.

Credit Kareni, Pixabay

What About Contentment, Logic, and Gut Feelings?

Logic combined with intuition is a wise, poised, and grounded approach. Reason plays an important role, but intuition provides additional information for better decisions. If something doesn’t appear logical, should it automatically be called crazy? I’m with Einstein on this one:

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein

I’ve invested a career in communication practice and improvement. Here’s Robert Frost’s take:

“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t—and the other half who have nothing to say but keep on saying it.” – Robert Frost

Contentment doesn’t care if you have the best of everything or if you achieve a bigger house, better job, more money, or more followers. Contentment is the calm joy and quiet pleasure we feel when basic needs are in harmony with ourselves and our surroundings.

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition of a successful life resonates with me:

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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