Cultivating Curiosity: The Key to Personal and Professional Advancement

Part 3: Imagine unlocking the secret ingredient to innovation, happiness, and personal growth. That's exactly what we're discussing today as we dive into the power of curiosity and its transformative impact on our lives. In this episode, we explore the four distinct characteristics of highly curious individuals: joyous exploration, deprivation sensitivity, openness to other people's ideas, and stress tolerance. By understanding and developing these traits, you'll be better equipped to embrace curiosity in your everyday life and see the world with fresh eyes.

Ready to become a more curious person? We've got you covered with our G.O.A.L.S. acronym, a guide to developing curiosity through goal-setting and observation. Learn how to get off your proverbial couch and become a discoverer, observe with intent, ask good questions, and listen intently to truly understand. With these steps in mind, you'll be well on your way to unlocking the power of curiosity and experiencing its transformative impact on your life. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the fascinating world of curiosity and ignite your personal and professional growth!

Chapters

• 0:00 The Importance of Curiosity
• 8:45 Characteristics of a Curious Person
• 13:43 Developing Curiosity Through Goals and Observation

Transcript

Nick Koopalethes: 0:00

The Koopalethes Podcast. Here's to now control All systems go. Welcome to the Coupelitus Podcast. My name is Nick Coupelitus and this is Episode 19, part 3 of the Spice of Life. We have been talking about the very unappreciated trait called curiosity And I am trying to see a revival in curiosity. I love curiosity And so we're going to jump right into content today, continuing on In Episode 17,. Introduce this idea of what it is to be curious. In Episode 18, we were talking about enemies of curiosity. I hope you took some time there, maybe to examine yourself And look at what's holding you back from seeking and seeing the world afresh. But today we're going to talk about traits of a curious person. So I want to hopefully, by the end of this episode you will have a few tools that help you figure out how to be more curious, and I've been quoting a lot of different articles and a lot of different people. And because this idea of curiosity, we can kind of just brush right over And I don't think we should I think this spice of life, this is the secret ingredient I'm telling you You know I haven't told this story.

Nick Koopalethes: 1:47

I'll tell this story. This all started because I was taking a Zoom class and this is like a few weeks ago, maybe a month ago plus now, and one of the things that they said in this Zoom class they said it's important to stay curious. And the way that I heard that was like the Dosakis guy, like you know, stay thirsty, my friend. It was like stay curious, my friend. And that's how I heard it stay curious. And so I got at that moment I got the largest posted note I could get. That was in my office, it's like three quarters of an inch by like an inch and a half, and I wrote on that thing stay curious. And I put it up on my wall and I was staring at that posted note for like a few weeks, actually, i don't know. Oh, there, it is. Okay, it's still on the wall And but the whole idea of like stay curious, my friend, it's like what does it mean to be curious? And the more I was curious about being curious, I realized curiosity is really the secret ingredient for innovation, for new discovery, for just happiness.

Nick Koopalethes: 2:50

So today let's jump right into it. Some traits of what it is to be a curious person. I'm looking at the website thefutureorganizationcom four characteristics of highly curious and innovative people, written by Jacob Morgan And I'm going to jump right into this, all right, and I'm going to read right from the article Curiosity forces the pursuit of new ideas, products, services and methods of doing things. It pushes people and organizations past the status quo to find the newest and best ways to do things. What a force. It's a motivational force. I'm not just going to say that phrase again. Curiosity forces the pursuit of new ideas. Dot, dot, dot. It forces the pursuit. There's a hunger and thirst for new things. The State of Curiosity report is based on a survey response from 3,000 adults and discovered that highly curious individuals with the greatest potential to innovate each possess four distinct characteristics. So here's four characteristics of highly successful people who are curious. They're going to have these four things, i would say, managed in their life.

Nick Koopalethes: 4:23

Number one are you ready? Number one joyous exploration. This occurs when people explore and seek out new knowledge which brings them great pleasure. This is where most people stop. They assume curiosity is just about exploring and tinkering the way children do. So joyous explorations like hey, there's the kid over there. They love to explore, they love to try new things. But then it's like you know what? There's an adult right? I don't think we praise the idea of curiosity enough. I don't really hear adults ever talking about curiosity. That's a kiddish thing. But where you find great curiosity you find guys like Elon Musk. You find it in great innovators, you find it in people who are discovering new things. Joyous exploration. Let's not be so fast to grow up out of curiosity. So the first trait or distinct characteristic is joyous exploration.

Nick Koopalethes: 5:28

Secondly, deprivation sensitivity. This occurs when individuals recognize there is a gap between what they know and what they want to know and try to close the gap. This process can be messy, but often open doors for new learning and exploration. So deprivation sensitivity Meaning I recognize there's something in my life that's not right. Maybe it's a skill, maybe it's a relationship. There's something there, maybe it's knowledge right, that's what they're talking about. You don't know something but you want to know And you realize that don't know is big enough where you've got to close that gap. So it drives you to be curious. Honestly, all of us have places of deprivation and we all should be sensitive to areas. So if in my Relationships whether it's my wife, or whether it's my, my kids, whether it's my church, what I mean, whatever it might be, my friends, if I'm missing out on something I want to figure out how to close that gap Places where there's friction, places where Communication is not going well. Well, i want to learn how to close that gap. So that's what? deprivation Sensitivity. So you realize that there is a gap somewhere in your life and you want to close it. And I would just say a Lot of people don't like the idea of really looking at where there, where there's deprivation in their own life and Instead of being curious and fixing it, what happens is we don't like being vulnerable.

Nick Koopalethes: 7:08

So instead of trying to fix it, we shut down the conversation, we shut down the pursuit and we leave it the way. It is why? Because what the article says, it can be messy, but how many know that just because it's messy Doesn't mean that it's wrong. You know there's a saying right. It says like out of your messiness, out of the mess, comes a message. You have a message. Let it be messy if it gets you to a good message, to a positive message, to a godly message, just let it be what it is, it's okay.

Nick Koopalethes: 7:46

So if you, if you sense or Observe that there is a place of deprivation, whether in your knowledge, your skill, your, your, your relationships around you that you know what. Start to seek out the healing of that, the connection of that, the new vision of that. Don't shrink back. All right, so joyous exploration, deprivation, sensitivity. What's number three? Open this to people's ideas.

Nick Koopalethes: 8:16

It's difficult to cultivate curiosity without being open to diverse perspectives and ideas from others and also intentionally seeking out new ways of doing things. You have to be open. You have Controlling. People don't want to be open to other people's ideas. Insecure people don't want to be open to other ideas. If you're an insecure leader, you don't want to hear others ideas, because what if they're better than yours?

Nick Koopalethes: 8:45

Open this to other people's ideas because when you're open to other people's ideas, it might mean that your ideas are wrong or they're not right, or you have to be open. You also. I mean it's a wonderful thing to be open to other people's ideas because you don't need to take other people's ideas. Sometimes it's just good to know Different perspectives. There are sometimes where you know somebody else's perspective and actually it helps you to know That you're in the right perspective.

Nick Koopalethes: 9:14

But people who are not open to other people's perspective It makes them weak, not strong. They they are. They. They are cowards and not filled with courage. This is why You know this is my free speech is awesome, because we in America cherish the idea that you can speak what's on your mind and That in America we find that it's better to be open To new and fresh ideas than for a government to try to shut down every idea that's not their own and try to control the mass and try to control the population, even though, unfortunately, free speeches is incredibly under attack. But we want to be open. If we're curious, let's let's learn about each other, let's learn new things and let's grow so joyous exploration, deprivation, sensitivity, open this to other people's ideas. and the last, at least on this list is so important is Stress tolerance, and this is what it means.

Nick Koopalethes: 10:25

Curiosity can be stressful because you are exploring something new, unfamiliar and uncertain. Not only do you need to know how to manage this, but you also need to help your team understand how to cope with it as well. This stress tolerance, i think, Could be one of the most important things, and also, i guess it depends on what you're going for, but it's this idea that, as you're Coming on something new, you don't know what to expect, something unfamiliar, you might not know how to relate with it, something that's uncertain. You don't know how to control it, and so now your curiosity has brought you into a place where there are A lot more variables in your environment now. So how do you manage that? But I would also say to you, if you're curious and a lot of times on this Podcast I relate this to relationships and I really relate this to kind of the relationship even to your own self Sometimes what happens with curiosity?

Nick Koopalethes: 11:26

It brings you into a place where you have to actually confront yourself and that can be stressful, where Curiosity opens you up to a place where you realize you have to Exchange something that's a lie in you, or something That's not true, which is a lie, but something that is maybe it's not right for you, and You have to exchange that for truth. You have to exchange that for The realization. I mean there's sometimes what happens is when you're, when you're, this new discovery, and I'm thinking right now about just becoming free, like Being the best version that God has created you to be. But you realize that some of the examples and some of the Experiences you have in your life have formed something in you that you have to. You've, instead of maybe Just trying to think how to say this Instead of really addressing it, because it's hurtful and painful. You've worked around it and you've let it stay, but the stress tolerance really comes into the place where you're like you know what I Realize? I rather have freedom and wholeness and be the best Version of what God's created me to be, because he's worthy of that. Then to remain the way that I am. But that can be stressful, that can be taxing. This is why you need good people around you. This is why you need encouraging people around you. This is why you need people that are gonna pray for you and love you and and and help you walk through those things. And I think all of us whether it's stress tolerance, about like personal freedom, or whether it's on our job, whether it's leading an organization, we have to realize, as we're doing something new, there's gonna be a certain pressure put upon us That's different. So Here are four distinct characteristics of a curious person Joyous exploration, deprivation, sensitivity, openness to people's ideas, stress tolerance. This is what it looks like to walk as a curious person.

Nick Koopalethes: 13:43

Okay, i want to give you some real, just practical. How do you apply these last three episodes? How do you become a curious person. We've touched on it, we've talked about it. But what I'd like to do is I want to use the acronym goals, goals, g-o-a-l-s. Why? Because, first of all, your goal is to become a curious person, but goals you're going to accomplish a lot more of your goals in life. When you apply this concept, this trait, you stir it up curiosity.

Nick Koopalethes: 14:18

So the first letter in the acronym is G. It stands for go. As simple as that sounds, it can be difficult because you have to decide, make a decision to get off the proverbial couch and become a discoverer, become like Indiana Jones finding new treasures, new artifacts, discovering and rediscovering the world around you And saying to yourself it costs too much not to get off this proverbial couch. I want to be a person that's curious. I want to be inquisitive, because in my life, i want to be a person that discovers the joy and the benefit of living this life to the full. So the first G is goal, go.

Nick Koopalethes: 15:07

The second O is observe, observe. This is a hard one for us in America. This is a hard one if you're Italian, greek, german, like I am, turkish all the different things that I am according to ancestrydnacom Because my personality is like, hey, i don't want to observe, i just want to do So. This one observe is important. And let's put it like this Watch and wonder. Watch and wonder Meaning don't be quick to speak, right, don't be quick to speak, be quick to listen. So I'm going to go, but I'm not going with the agenda to solve every issue. I'm going to go and I'm going to just observe. I'm going to watch, i'm going to have perception, i'm going to open my eyes. This is for anywhere. This is, whether it's in your marriage, whether it's in your family, whether it's in your church, whether it's in your role, your title, your job. Just go, be willing to. You're going to step out to be curious, but then observe, watch and wonder. Don't be quick to fix, don't be quick to give your opinion. Observe O is not for your opinion, o is for observation. Thirdly, right G-O-A-A Ask good questions, not just ask questions.

Nick Koopalethes: 16:30

Ask good questions. This is a journey that I am on right now. What is a good question? Because there are questions that aren't helpful. There are questions that aren't necessarily good questions. Sometimes it's not about necessarily crafting of the question, sometimes it's the answer or how you evoke the answer in somebody else. But ask good questions. Just a criteria for asking good questions Don't ask questions that have one word answers, like this Somebody comes home from work Did you have a good day?

Nick Koopalethes: 17:12

Yes, i had a good day Kind of a one-word answer. Or how about this Instead of asking did you have a good day, say did you enjoy your day today? Wait, that's a one word answer too. So, what did you enjoy about your day today? There you go. See, i had to work it out there for a second. I'm gonna leave this in there, not gonna cut it out. What did you enjoy about your day today? Good, no, yes, no, those don't answer it. They're bigger than one word answer. So it's what did you? well, i enjoyed blah, blah, blah, blah. So you're not looking for and sometimes you have to think through a question. That's okay. So what makes a good question? And then here's a little cheat sheet here Go online and whether it's for your marriage, for your kids, for your whatever, for your boss, for your colleague, there's lists and lists of questions out there that you can ask. So you're gonna go, you're gonna observe, which is watch and wonder, but then you're gonna ask good questions.

Nick Koopalethes: 18:10

The fourth thing you're going to do is you're gonna listen intently. This is also an art and a skill. You're not listening necessarily to think of the next question. You're not listening to necessarily give the response as quickly as possible. Do you know who listens really well Is Jordan Peterson. If you think about how Jordan Peterson is in interviews, or sometimes, unless he gets riled up, he takes his time to listen intently. Sometimes that throws people off because if somebody's asking you, you're in conversation and you don't answer right away, they'll just interject.

Nick Koopalethes: 18:52

I have been guilty of that And it's just recently. I'm really working on recently, last year or two, really working on listening and then kind of commanding myself to have a conversation. That's well thought out. So if I'm listening intently, i'm not trying necessarily always to even read between the lines or figure out their motives. First I wanna take people at face value, but I wanna listen to their words, like what are they saying? And so that's an art form, right? So if I'm going with courage and I'm observing, i'm watching, i'm wondering, i'm asking good questions, well, you can do all that work, but if you don't get to the part where you listen intently, then you miss out on the treasure. So all of that work goes for naught because you haven't listened intently.

Nick Koopalethes: 19:52

And then, after you've listened intently, here's the S in goals seek to understand. So you might have to ask a follow-up question or you might have to kind of allow that person to process. So in this thing, it's a process, right? So there's, you're going, you're observing, you're asking, you're listening, but then you're going. I really wanna seek to understand. So my follow-up question might be about your heart or where you're coming from, or your perspective. And I'm not just shutting you down because I disagree, i'm not just moving on because I don't feel like taking the time. So if I'm taking the time with you and I'm connecting with you, i want this to be my goal, because by being a curious person I'm gonna achieve many goals. And this is really practical.

Nick Koopalethes: 20:48

And I would just say practice, practice. Try this on your spouse, try this on your kids, try this on where you well, maybe you've already gone, so the G is checked off, but you know what. You just need to observe, watch and wonder, ask, listen, seek. You're just in this place where you're cultivating an environment in you of curiosity. I remember when I was a kid. I don't even remember where it was, i just remember, as a kid going to the planetarium and just so enjoying the story that was unfolding on the ceiling of the planetarium, the stars and the constellations, and I just remember that being an emotion in me of curiosity. And you know what I want my heart to carry that environment, that culture, the planetarium, that where I don't see the world for just what is wrong, but I seek to find what's good and fresh and new, and maybe even in that, the things that are wrong or the things that are unrighteous, even seeking to figure out why they're that way and then changing the world.

Nick Koopalethes: 22:06

The biggest travesty, i think, would be, you know, it's like you get on a car trip and you get in the car and you're on a highway and you just pass through state by state by state. It's not that you don't stop and see the sights, it's you don't stop and you know the places. You stop is like you know the rest station, the gas station. Maybe every now and then you pull off and you see something else, but you miss a lot. And I don't want the highway of my life to miss a lot because I didn't know what it was to be a curious person and intentionally connecting to the environment around me. So I hope over these last three sessions it stirred something in you to be curious And I would just say, like, if this has touched you in some way, email me at couponethisatgmailcom. What are the things that you are discovering? What are the things that are new to you? I would love to hear it. Thank you so much, god bless. Till next time. Just show up.