What if Curiosity Did NOT Kill the Cat

Seven Reasons Why You Should Remain Open Minded – Even When You Think You Know It All!

By Jessica Tha Goddess

“Curious cats have more fun”

Jessica Tha Goddess

We live in a highly emotional, highly charged society where navigating political correctness is key, but also where politically incorrect memes go viral every day. Everything can feel like an oxymoron, and values like the young soaking up the wisdom of those who came before has seemed to be replaced by google and self-righteousness. Don’t shoot the messenger – it’s just an observation.

Curiosity

Curiosity has become an epic impulse where people instinctively live on their own terms – whims even; but there is also a lack of curiosity when it comes to truly diving deeper than your own self-imposed limitations and emotional outburst to consider other points of view. Equally worrisome, critical thinking seems to be as rare as a museum-worthy jewel. In the social media age content is still King, but it is often produced by court jesters.

Knowledge Share – the lost art!

Instead of listening, learning, and studying the masters, considering the options, critical thinking, collaborating for deeper and greater knowledge; opinions are fully-formed on impulse, in classrooms meant to inspire curiosity – students instead feel entitled; armed with half-truths and incomplete lessons they have a sense of being all-knowing. Worse, on social media while scrolling through the latest memes…people become suddenly “WOKE!”

Volunteers Needed

Forget the heads who have contributed to the fabric of society, build communities, mentored people, brought businesses to where they are today – they are not considered, believed, respected, or appreciated in the same way they once were. Instead, today, people are more likely to have closed ears, closed minds, and open mouths – all while yelling with hashtags for others to hear their great under researched very urgent causes.

Social Media – the great awareness spreader…and apathy maker!

Maybe their causes are urgent, maybe they are not; but what they often lack is wisdom, critical thinking, and commitment to see change through – past a post, a rant, a hashtag – all the way through to real action, real impact, real lives improved. That takes work, that takes time, that takes organization, planning, getting from behind the screen and into the community, that takes real people who are really…woke! Sadly, people today often lack the maturity, and sometimes the respect, to truly do justice to the cause they say they are fighting for.

Social media has been phenomenal at heightening awareness about very important issues, it has helped connect people and promoted dialogue (TALKING). It also drains people – before they get up and ACT! We need balance. We need awareness…but we also need action – or as the reggae song goes “action, not a bag a mout!!!”

My friends, what you do (or do not do) today has an impact on the world tomorrow. Every cause has an effect, and in a world where they cancel classics without regard to true meaning, intent, or impact – while simultaneously twerking half naked everywhere, all the time, blurs the lines of what is considered socially acceptable, offensive, and non-offensive, appropriate, and inappropriate. Twerk if you must, but also respect the woman who chooses to play coy – because – Baby it is Cold Outside!

Don’t be ‘woke’ for woke sake, understand and critically think about any bandwagon you create or jump on.

Breathe

Maybe we need to collectively take a pause, breathe, inhale, exhale. Collect our thoughts, consider our battles, re-account our values, determine what is important to us, where to put our energy, and how many causes we can effectively work on to create real lasting change.

Studies show that while social media raises awareness, social media has also been detrimental in many ways to charities and social movements because people rant and then FEEL like they have made an impact when they really have not. Less people volunteer, less people donate, more people TALK!

Maybe, we need to open our minds, and hearts, before opening our mouths.

Maybe we can even roll up our sleeves and get involved. Maybe we can commit to making an impact in our own special way – and maybe we respect each other’s wisdom while doing so.

The Question

I pose you this question to you…

I believe it is healthy and intelligent to be inquisitive.

I believe there are no stupid questions – I credit my grandmother for raising me to know this, and for participating when I played my daily game of twenty questions which helped me to understand the world around me and critically think to form deep and knowledge-based questions.

I did not make decisions about my community and its issues from memes and headlines, but instead from rolling up my sleeves, getting out into my community, working with others, and making a difference.

I sought mentorship, respected the women in my community – especially those who were working for a better tomorrow, and modeled myself after those I respected and wanted to be like.

I was not disillusioned into grand thoughts of mentors being perfect, I knew no one was perfect, but I took the lessons from these ladies that I liked and that I felt could help me improve my life – and left the rest.

Entitlement Closes Eyes and Shuts Down Dreams Before They Begin!

Today I see young people turning down major deals without even showing up at the table to gain an understanding of what those deals are; they do it in an effort to ‘stay true to themselves’ while lacking the willingness to even hear, much less negotiate, a favorable deal. Instead of using connections and real life experiences to grow, they are way too often stuck behind the screen with a false sense of personal importance, and a belief that they are curious, knowledgeable, special, eclectic, different….and woke – all while deflecting life-improving opportunities and believing they know it all.

The truth is NO ONE KNOWS IT ALL. I don’t know it all – even though I worked in community development for over twenty years, mentored at-risk youth, changed lives, helped start several small businesses, mentored entertainers, ran several companies, published books, developed and delivered courses, consulted to Fortune 500 companies, and worked with some of the world’s biggest names…I still do not know it all.

As an educated, seasoned, and accomplished professional – I am still willing, even eager, to learn more. I still get excited about the prospect of collaborating with another great mind. I can’t imagine what a bore life would be if I really tricked myself into believing I know it all, or how much great opportunities I would have let go if self-importance and personal grander got in the way. I know I am important, and special, and grand…but so are you! We all have something to offer and that is why remaining humble is a beautiful gift you give yourself – it allows life to gift you unexpected awesomeness.

You see…magic happens when you try something new.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Albert Einstein

So, why should you remain curious?

Seven Reasons Why You Should Remain Open Minded – even when you think you know it all!

1. Make learning more effective and enjoyable – studies show that in a learning environment curiosity allows the brain to enjoy and enhance the learning process
2. Retain the information you learn – curiosity is proven to help students better understand and retain new concepts even ones they are not interested in. If you are like me, a life-long learner, then remaining in a state of curiosity allows you to always be learning.
3. In business curiosity is known to improve engagement and performance. It can be directly tied to improved company performance.
4. According to Dell CEO, Michael Dell, the consistent success trait among C-Suite executives is curiosity.
5. Forbes Article – The Importance of Hiring Curious People outlines the importance of curiosity when hiring for the long-term. While candidates may share similar qualifications and experiences, the curious employee is likely to be engaged, ask questions – and thus make less mistakes, and take the role further than it already is.
6. Intrapreneurs are curious people – they have a thirst for asking questions and creating solutions to problems. Today companies are looking to connect with and hire intrapreneurs.
7. Curiosity helps people foster better relationships and make authentic connections. When you shed your ‘know it all’ persona you are free to learn and grow with others. Instead of appearing pompous, the curious person appears more humble, reasonable, and intelligent.

Be Curious

While it may be the aim of the know it all to prove to everyone that they know best, the curious person grows over time, fosters trust, builds relationships, and forms a brand that is authentically rooted in real life experiences and not just textbook know-how, and emotions fueled by the latest memes.

Be curious. Try new things. Work with new people. Don’t form opinions unless you have gained some experience. I promise you, it will help add depth to your character, richness to your life-story, and impact when you decide to use your lessons to make a real difference in our world.

Blessings from xoxo Jessica Tha Goddess!

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