THE POWER OF CURIOSITY
I was talking with my friend Jeannie about what we get to do as life coaches. We get to share what we think about and what we feel is most important in our lives with others. And that’s what I try to do in my blogs and in my newsletters. My thoughts keep evolving.
In the last blog I shared with you six insights that have the potential to change your life. Since I sent it out, I have been thinking about the power of curiosity which I briefly commented upon as one of the six insights. I thought I’d take the time to explore this concept in greater depth and give you a few examples of how I use it in my life.
If you remember I suggested that as you start your day that you wonder about what the highlight of your day might be. What this does is get you thinking about the potential for good in your life. You’re curious about might happen during the day.
You can make this a practice in almost everything that you do. I remember when I was a trial lawyer. There were plenty of moments when I faced a difficult situation with a lot at stake or when I was in the presence of someone who was just unpleasant.
And then one day a light bulb went one when I was in the middle of a deposition. I realized that I chose to be there in that this was the work that I chose for my career. And this situation would be coming up again and again as long as I was in this line of work. The circumstances weren’t going to change. So the only alternative was for me to change my attitude.
On this morning, the other attorney who I’ll just call Dennis was particularly rude and insulting. Rather than getting plugged into Dennis’s energy, I was curious about why he was the way that he was. I was sure that this was his MO–getting into arguments with most of the people in his life. I even felt sorry for him, and grateful that I wasn’t like him. I also realized that in each moment that I had a chose to be firm but not reactive.
Finally I suggested to Dennis that we take a break and talk off the record. I asked him what was going on with him–after all my client was just an innocent victim.
Dennis apologized and invited me to lunch. He told me how much he hated his job. To this day, we have maintained a relationship even after I transitioned into becoming a life coach.
It’s the same thing with worry. When you think about it…isn’t worry an irrational belief that the worst will happen? Rather than worrying, be curious as to how it’s all going to unfold. Not only that, be curious as to how your life could be if everything worked out better than you expected.
These are just a few ideas that we’ll explore further in the next blog.
JOURNEY ON
MARK
Mark Susnow, is an executive and life coach, who inspires others to believe in themselves. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes will be released May 1, 2010. mark@inspirepossibility.com