The Gift of Curiosity is one the great toys for us to play with in engaging others and ourselves. It opens the mind and heart, stimulates creative thinking, encourages sharing, clarifies needs and desires, illuminates values, activates intuition and much, much more. Curiosity is a doorway into the soul and soulful living.
The power lies in the question, not the answer
Our society still functions from the perspective that the power lies in the answer. We tell people what to think, what to do and where to go. Whether it is parents, teachers or employers, we engage others from the perspective of telling, fixing or managing versus asking. There is nothing wrong with these modes of engagement, yet when not balanced with the wisdom of curiosity we cannot truly support others.
As we evolve into a more awakened humanity we will realize the power lies in the question, not the answer. This will require a shift towards seeing people as naturally creative, resourceful and whole (Created by The Coaches Training Institute). This means that each individual is the expert in their life, not anyone else. We are born as creative beings with the seeds of potential to live a purposeful life, and with the inner wisdom to manifest it. Our role as human beings is to help one another, and ourselves, actualize our inner potential.
The old world served humanity to make a living.
The new world serves humanity to make a life.
The old world served to support the intellect to have the necessary tools to function in the world. We trained our children how to best do and think in order to become productive members of our society. Materialism and security have been the goals, intellect the master, and doing the primary source of creation.
This is not enough anymore. Our world needs a new kind of contribution.
The new world serves to support the soul to manifest its purpose for the sake of individual and global awakening. In the new world personal fulfillment and awakening our purpose is the goal, the soul is the master, the intellect is the servant, and being is the primary source of creation.
Curiosity will transform our social structures and systems
New schools are emerging that allow children to play a part in designing their course curriculum for the sake of awakening their purpose versus simply finding a job. Jobs are something you do; your purpose is who you are. Your purpose includes a job; a job does not necessarily include a sense of purpose. I don’t know about you, but my favorite teachers were the ones that asked, “What do you think?” Questions like this encourage students to self-reflect, which is the only way we can begin to find our purpose.
Organizations are shifting to teach coaching skills to their employees so that they may engage each other, and their clients, from a holistic perspective. Personal empowerment through values discovery and alignment is becoming an important and necessary function in order to lessen costly turnover and improve morale. Practicing curiousity with clients is a great way to assess their needs more thoroughly and offer more customized services. Practicing curiousity with hospital patients encourages them to play an active role in, and take greater responsibility for, their healing process.
Parents are learning that as their children grow up, they can no longer say what is best for them. They may have known what is best when they were young, but as the children grow up there is a letting go of control and an embracing of uncertainty that is necessary in order to truly hold the space for the child to create his own future. We can teach our children skills for surivial and productive living, but the source of purposeful living is concealed within each of us and can only be discovered from within.
From work to play
Curiosity allows us to evolve from work to play. By being curious with others we work less at:
- Figuring out what is best for others
- Fixing their problems for them
- Feeling responsible for their lives
Instead, through being curious, we have more play time by allowing others to:
- Take more responsibility for their lives and ownership of their choices
- Learn to find their own answers, which empowers them and detaches them from you
- Require less follow-up and motivation because when it is their own idea they feel much more inspired to take action
Play, Play, Play with curiosity. Whatever you do, don’t work at it. Play and watch your relationship with others, and yourself, transform!
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Related Reading:
20 Questions to Enhance Conversations
4 Keys to Conscious Communication
Co-Creative Conversations
Related Training:
Conscious Communication ~ Creative, Compassionate & Productive Communication
Community Engagement ~ Building Creative & Collaborative Relationships