It is said that “curiosity killed the cat.” I disagree. Rather, a lack of curiosity is the path to a slow quiet, uneventful, life. Perhaps you find yourself in a rut, doing the same things over and over without really thinking about it. Rekindle your inquisitiveness! If you develop curiosity, the world comes alive again and can benefit your career at the same time.

This past week, I was at a Java meetup where Gerrit Grunwald presented his work on wearable technology by. He talked about the devices and systems he built first for ultra-marathon runners and, later, to help the elderly living in remote parts of the country. Each device went through several iterations. Some solutions worked, others were discarded. He was so curious about solving these particular problems that he spent countless hours and a fair amount of money to build these systems all in his spare time.

I have no special gift, I am only passionately curious. – Albert Einstein

If you’re reading this, you already have some level of inquisitiveness. After all, you took the time out of your busy day to read a blog post about curiosity.

This wasn’t something that came naturally to me. When I was younger, I was that developer that would go to work, work on the projects I was assigned, and then come home and watch TV, chat with friends online or otherwise veg out.  I was not exactly the most curious of people.

At some point, I figured out that developing a sense of wonder about the world is important for my career, my health and my general happiness. It probably helped that there was a girl involved. My wife is one of those people who seems to have unlimited curiosity about everything. She has that spark in her eye that is hard not to want to emulate.

The Importance of Curiosity

Having a healthy sense of curiosity is important for a variety of reasons. If nothing else, a healthy interest in the world keeps life vibrant and alive, boosting your health and happiness. If that’s not reason enough, it can also help in your career. For example, someone who is more inquisitive will:

• Learn Faster. Makes sense, right? If you’re more curious about a topic, you’re going to spend more time and absorb the material faster. Studies have shown that people learn better and retain more when they’re curious about the topic.
• Solve Problems. When you’re curious about a problem, you’ll spend more time digging in and finding a solution. Remember Gerrit? His inquisitiveness led him to spend many late nights working on problems simply because he wanted to see if they could be solved.
• Have Influence. If you’re the one that can learn quickly, solve problems and hold the attention of others with your ideas, you’ll have greater influence on the direction of your team or organization.

I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Curious How?

What can you do to develop curiosity? Ultimately, it comes down to simply paying attention to what is going on around you and deciding to rekindle that sense of wonder you had as a kid. But here are some more tactical suggestions for how to do that:

• Read. There is no shortage of books, magazines, or blogs dedicated to whatever you may find interesting. Spend time reading and learning. If you can, dedicate some time every day to reading something new, inspiring or interesting.
• Watch. In this day and age, there are almost as many videos out there on YouTube, TED, and more as there is reading material. Find recordings of conferences or talks by thought leaders in the space you’re interested in. Listen to what they’re presenting and see if you can find an application in your current projects.
• Listen. Every day, after I drop off the kids at school, I listen to a podcast on my way to work. My car has become a rolling university. There I listen to technical talks and interviews, podcasts on personal development, and more. Find something of interest to you and use that time when driving or riding the bus or train to work to listen to something interesting.
• Go. There’s something powerful about going to a conference or a meetup. When you actually going to a location to meet or learn from other people, you’re not distracted by the other commitments you have. You’re able to totally focus on what is being said and the people who are there.

Stay Curious

Instead of the usual saying about curiosity and the cat, I like the version with the rejoinder, “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back”. The more curious you stay, the more interesting things remain, the faster you learn and the more influence you have. Develop curiosity, find those things that interest you, and I think you’ll find a renewed interest in all you do.

Question: what do you do to develop your sense of curiosity?