Is your schedule so overloaded with completion and results-driven tasks the space for Curiosity has vanished? You find checking items off your to-do list rewarding, yet still, something is missing?
Often you feel as though you’re barreling down a straight highway with complete concentration—very like the long drive between Denver, Colorado and Wichita, Kansas—with nary a glimpse of an engaging scene to be had. If you’re looking to kick up your experience a notch, you’ll need to unplug from cruise control and your pedal to the metal attitude to take in some of the remarkable sights off that busy highway. The same holds true at work.
While organizations value high performers, what is a game changer for the company long-term is innovation. The worrisome fact is that since 1990 creativity continues to decrease in the United States. This research points out why Curiosity is imperative in today’s marketplace. Individually and corporately the trend must be reversed, or businesses lose.
You see the bi-product of Curiosity is learning, exploring, discovery, and new ideas, which naturally breaks up imprisoning work patterns.
Are you interested in taking on the Curiosity challenge?
- Unplugged Emotionally: You may not even recognize you’re bored with your work life as you haven’t taken time to identify your nagging feeling that something’s off. Ignoring the subtle hints doesn’t mean it’s not impacting your career. Entirely the reverse is true. Denial of what you’re encountering daily, in all probability, may be one of the factors playing into Gallup’s staggering statistic that 70 percent of America’s employees are disengagement.
- Curiosity Walkabout: Research reveals you’ll be more productive by getting up from your desk every 90-minutes. How much enjoyment would you generate for yourself as well as others by bringing Curiosity alive every day in your interactions with the people, situations, and projects surrounding you?Begin your journey of Curiosity by asking for a broader perspective—not merely the surfaces of issues—instead dig deep and see what new “Aha’s” jump out at you. Open-ended questions require thought and cannot be answered with a yes or no. Understanding is necessary, which is often missing when cruise control is your only work mode.
- Take-up The Challenge: Take your eye off your speedometer, your “to-do” list, for a minute to assess what repetitive customer complaint or annoying system glitches do you run into at work? Firing-up your innovative brain cells will kick in while working on passion projects. As you become a curious explorer determined to unearth solutions, you also gain a whole lot of job satisfaction and joy in the journey.
- Break-Away From The Rut: Experimentation will aid in building your Curiosity muscle, so pay attention to any activity you regularly do and make the conscious decision to explore elements you’ve never noticed. The act of being curious will support you in being more present, engenders more aliveness and connectivity in your interactions with every person and activity.
Being bored, but productive isn’t good for either you or your company long-term. Curiosity is the vehicle that energizes both your days and your innovative thoughts. So, discover ways to challenge and mentally stretch yourself every day to live an exhilarated life.