Learning Out Of Curiosity, Not Out Of Fear

Have you ever wondered why you know the things that you know? Like not everything you know is actually that useful to you right? Or maybe it is. For greater context, let me back it up and talk about my Dad. Despite his excessively loud snoring, the thing I really love about him is that he always seems to know a little bit about everything. He's super inquisitive and spends adequate time researching things. Plus, he picks things up really quickly which helps- I dare you to find a cooler almost-55-year-old who knows and uses as much teen slang as my Pops does. He was a science teacher, so I guess that's why he's so curious and always has a thirst for knowledge. He's shared some really mind-blowing stuff with me and I'm always left thinking 'why on earth do you know that?'. Now a big girl, I've noticed that I'm very much the same. I'm all over explainer videos on Youtube and you'll always catch me watching 'How It's Made' on a Saturday night (I know right, much more adventurous than yours). It's such a random show covering everything from fighter jets and bells to leather bags and guitars. Here's what I've figured though, it's not so much what I'm learning about, but more so the pursuit of knowledge that really excites me. I love that I can just open YouTube and learn about anything, or pick up courses and attend seminars. It's like the power is really in my hands and I love that feeling more than anything else.

You see, when you allow fear to lead what you're learning, I think you really limit yourself. Yes, learning "on-brand" stuff is important but it's equally important that you really stretch your mind too and here's why:

👉🏾 Everything is a remix

You've probably heard me say this a million times...because it's true. The best remixes are cross-sectional. For example, using tech to solve homelessness or developing a clothing line to help sponsor coding lessons for young girls. The best remixes are a little bit of this and a little bit of that, that's what makes them innovative. You can't achieve that if you don't know much outside of your immediate field. If you want to be one of the change makers you have to know more than the average folk.

👉🏾 Gain confidence

This one is a bit more of an internal benefit. As a creative or business owner it's so easy to doubt yourself, particularly when things are not going the way that you would like them to. Learning something new, affords you the opportunity to succeed in something else. This helps boost your overall morale and makes you feel more optimistic about the task that has been kicking your arse all day. It's a change of perspective, which encourages you to do much more.

👉🏾 Reduce stress

Stress is something that we ALL experience, maybe from time to time, maybe everyday. But there's nothing like disconnecting from what's causing you the stress and keying into something else. Even if it's something random, it's still a nice break to let your mind recover. You can learn all the software in the world, but if you're not truly inspired then nothing actually good will come out of it in the end.

Curiosity might have killed the cat, but we all know that cats can be real dumb sometimes. Do more with that big old brain of yours! Really push yourself to your limits and then make new ones.