Staying Curious

In my work, staying curious is absolutely essential. The art of not knowing is what gives life to what I do, what I share, and ultimately how I live, too. It’s actually pretty terrifying sometimes! We all want to feel safe, in control, knowing what’s around the corner. But those desires unfortunately have the tendency to keep us trapped and our view on life becomes embedded in the illusion of control. It eventually becomes part of the persona and an emotional navigator.

When we sit to meditate, when we use our bodies, when we come to our creative chamber, if we think we know it all, there is no space left. If curiosity doesn’t get a seat at the table, then who is dominating the room? Our doubted friend, the ego…

Our ego is helpful in so many situations, but not in curiosity. Not for saying, ‘I’m not sure, let me give this a try.’

We grasp so tightly to knowing and to the feeling of being in control - either of ourselves, of others or of a desired outcome - that we forget about the limitless possibilities of what could be. Of what we might discover, in the work, or in ourselves, from ‘failing’ from the outcome we were aiming for.

I remember one of my old bosses said to me, “Assumptions are the root of all fuck ups.” I was a 21 year old law student paralegal in a commercial law firm. Staying curious is relevant in many places, urging us to shift our potentially rigid thinking, keeping us on our toes. Needless to say, I didn’t forget it…

With curiosity we can float in the unseen, the unknown, and get comfortable with it. It helps us play again. Ask questions like an inquisitive kid. The energy of curiosity compels us to reframe our way of perceiving, and even our way of projecting. That sense of tuning in, that’s ‘The Moment’ we all seek. An acknowledgment that life is pulsating through us, if only we allow it.

Image of Ruth St. Denis as Radha