The Curiosity of a Child
Recently I have had the opportunity to observe a number of little children under the age of 18 months old. It is really fascinating to observe them. When their focus becomes locked in on an item that captures their attention, they look to learn all they can about it before moving onto the next item that captures their gaze. It could be something as innocent as a light hanging from a church ceiling, to watching another individual sing, to peering intently at the features of the face of a new person they meet. As most everything they encounter is new to them, little children use their powers of observation to learn as much as they can about the world around them.
As I find this trait to be one which is common among most little ones with whom I come in contact, it is obvious to deduce that it is a characteristic which we are all born with. However, as time goes on, many of us lose that curiosity. We become entrenched in our daily routine that grabs our concentration and we don’t notice as freely what is going on around us. Or, we’re presented with a topic where we may feel we already know everything there is to know about it. In a world which continually changes, we actually have quite a bit to learn from following the behavior of those who are among the youngest around us.
One of the steps I always encourage the job searchers that work with me to do is research. That word research can have an impression of being tedious and boring, particularly if we tie it to our school days where it meant looking up information for a report or project. However, as an adult it actually can be enjoyable. I find myself doing “research” as I meet individuals at networking events. Learning the services a person offers and how they benefit the clients with whom they work is research. I have had a number of clients that I have coached from whom I have learned about work related opportunities that I had never considered before. One of my clients was interested in pursuing her passion to be a major player in addressing the world hunger issue. Another looked to move his career into sustainable businesses. The knowledge I gained about the organizations that are leaders in those areas has continued to stay with me so that when those topics emerge I can speak far better on them than if I had not been open to learning what they were about when the opportunity initially arose.
Information is so immediately at our fingertips these days. What used to take a great deal of time to find looking through books and reference catalogues may be only a few clicks away through an internet search. Yes, you may need to be careful weeding out the information that is truly educational versus that which is spam. However, when asked a question where I am not sure of the answer, I often jot it down so that when I’m signed on to my computer again I can look it up to see if I can find the answer. I choose to not just dismiss an opportunity to learn more than I may know at the moment.
If you feel stuck in your life or you feel like everything about you is always the same take a tip from the little ones around us. Look to expand your curiosity. Remember, they can only see with their eyes and hear with their ears. The very young among them are not able to talk and ask questions. They’re not able to read about that which interests them. Yet because of their strong sense of curiosity they learn so much in those early years of their life. You too can continue to learn and as such likely open yourself up to opportunities and next steps in your life that were not there previously. All it really takes is having the curiosity of a child.
