Being Curious

A Series: Who Do You Want to Be in 2026?

I have always loved children. When I got ready to choose a population to work with at the end of grad school I knew I wanted it to be with children. While I always felt like more of an old soul growing up (in high school I chose to be in the adult choir instead of going to youth group), there is one facet that is typically associated with children that I have held onto that I think many of us lose as we get older: being curious.

One of the things I think most people love about children is the funny questions they ask like, “Why does a bird have two legs?” or “What does mud taste like?”. As we get older, however, curiosity is replaced by knowing, because knowing is the more prized attribute. Many of us drop curiosity not intentionally but because knowing is what is required and rewarded. Job interviews and social interactions are not dominated by what we are unsure of or curious about, but what we are certain about.

Curiosity has a built in factor of vulnerability that adults tend to shy away from. Curiosity admits that we might not have all the answers. Curiosity invites us to open our minds to a new way of thinking or being. Curiosity requires space for something unfamiliar. It has a built-in mechanism that shifts our perspective from being right to being open.

While this can be scary for some of us, being open brings so many more possibilities. When we choose to live inside of only what we know, we are creating a self contained box that limits our interactions with anything that is outside of it - ideas, places, and people. Our world becomes small in a way that doesn’t serve us or the unique spaces we live in.

It might seem like in today’s world where we have the ability to observe and personally witness so many circumstances outside of our own because of technology that people would automatically become more curious. Unfortunately, that same technology is splintering us off into groups that think the same way, leaving little room for curiosity to sprout. It feels good to know something and be right and so we choose comfort and familiarity.

Being curious is not just a cute attribute of children, it is one of the forces that keeps us moving in love towards ourselves and others as we grow into and through adulthood. While being curious can feel unsteadying, it also brings more joy, hope, and love into our lives that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

If you are interested in cultivating curiosity about yourself, others, and the world around you, I would love to help you get started. You can schedule a free consult with me here!