What is a Curiosity Mindset (vs Judgemental Mindset)?
Curiosity is a natural and spontaneous urge to observe, learn, and discover. I wonder how I can …?
Curiosity Versus Judgement:
- Unlike curiosity, a judging mind evaluates something and decides it is good-or-bad, better-or-worse, right-or-wrong. A judging mind leaves out details and nuances that make the world go round and treats life as black-or-white, cutting off our learning and development path with sharp judgements.
- A judging mind that is overly critical or analytical is often at the root of emotional malady (low self-esteem, anxiety, irritability and depression).
“The important thing is not to stop questioning… Never lose a holy curiosity.”
– Albert Einstein
More Curiosity, Less Judgement, please – How does Curiosity Serve Us Well?
Those with a curious mindset tend to have a more fulfilling, more exciting life simply because they approach the world as if everything was a miracle. Key benefits that adopting a curious mindset can lead to include:
- Fosters an observant mind. Curious people are always asking questions and finding answers. In curiosity mode, our mind is open and actively searching for new ideas and information. Without the openness of our curious mind, powerful information can simply pass by us. How many great opportunities have we each lost due to lack of curiosity at a given time?
- Personal growth through active mind. The more curious we are, the more active our minds are which leads us to continually learn and grow. Since our mind is like a muscle that becomes stronger through consistent exercise, curiosity literally makes our mind stronger and stronger.
- Opens up New Worlds of Opportunities. The more we are open to trying new things and learning, the more opportunities we create for ourselves in terms of career and relationships. We uncover new worlds and possibilities which are normally not visible to us.
- Brings Excitement to Our Lives. The more we try new things, the more we introduce challenges, adventure and excitement to our life. There is no room for boredom in the life of a curious person.
- Develops our Empathy. The more genuine interest we show in other people, the easier it is to create new relationships and strengthen existing ones.
Example 1: Curiously serves our Personal Development
Situation: We need to take an important test on a new subject matter.
| EXAMPLE | Judgemental Mindset: | Curiosity Mindset: |
| Thought: | I’m not smart enough to do well on that exam. | Let’s see what actually happens when I take the test. I wonder what I’ll learn from preparing for this exam.When do I feel most confident in my thinking?Maybe I can talk to a friend about how they’ve had success in big exams? |
Example 2: Curiosity builds personal relationship
Situation: A good friend does something unexpected with a negative outcome.
| EXAMPLE | Judgemental Mindset: | Curiosity Mindset: |
| Thought: | He/She is just a bad person for doing that! | I wonder why he/she did that? Was that the first time it happened or one of many? Have I ever acted that way? What circumstances would lead someone to act like that? |
HOW to Foster Curiosity?
- Work to actively keep an open mind
- Don’t take things for granted – dig deeper beneath the surface of what’s around you
- Embrace learning as something fun to do
- Ask questions relentlessly – sure way to get more information.
- Introduce Diversity in your life in any way you can – travel, read different books, meet new people.
- Don’t judge and label things off-hand – dig deeper to understand the why? How? What? More about something before dismissing it.