I am writing this blog as I fly back from my trip to Southern California, and felt that it was appropriate to share one of my favourite quotes on curiosity by Walt Disney. I look out the window and I see above and below the clouds (see picture), and it heightens my sense of curiosity. What an incredible experience to be able to see the many beautiful elements of the world working together. With that, I reflect on the fact that curiosity leads to never-ending possibilities and things we still have yet to learn. That is why it is important to stay curious.
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney
When people come to therapy, I believe that there is always a level of curiosity. Some people are not sure what they are hoping for by coming to therapy, but many are open to discovering the possibilities for healing. There are some people who are afraid to stay in their curiosity, as they are not sure what they may discover as they go through this process.
Lately, I have been encouraging my clients to be process-focused, rather than outcome-focused which means curiosity gets to take the lead. When you read a chapter book, you’re not likely to read only the beginning and the ending, but rather from beginning TO the end. The development of the story is what we get drawn to whenever we read a book or watch a movie, so why wouldn’t we do that in our own lives?
One of the reasons why I love working with children is that they are not afraid to be curious. Children love to ask questions and are always exploring the environment around them. From a very young age, children tend to grab, hold, chew and touch everything they can get their hands on in order to understand the world around them. Screen time has prevented children and even adults from learning and exploring the world around us, because everything we are curious about we can Google in a split second. When I do play therapy with children, it is amazing what I can learn from watching children play with lego. They are so creative in what they are able to build, and also the stories they can create with it. When we invite ourselves to have curious conversations, it allows us to explore, discover, and be creative in how we can better our understanding. Our ability to understand ourselves is an ongoing process, and never ever finite. I get really excited when my clients and I get to use curiosity to explore together what may be happening. It is amazing what can come up in those conversations that allow us to reach one step closer to where they would like to be in their therapeutic journey.
Here are a few reasons why it’s important to stay curious:
Curiosity can spark creativity
When we add curiosity into our work projects, hobbies, home renovations, date nights, or parties, we often try to come up with creative ways to enhance the things we do. It can also help us be creative in how we approach and solve problems.
Curiosity can counteract boredom
Travelling is one of the ways that I find myself able to be the most curious. When we travel, we invite healthy discomfort, exploration, and curiosity into our lives. I love being able to try new types of food, meet new people, and view new places. There’s a big beautiful world out there that we are excited to explore because there are limitless possibilities.
Curiosity can bring meaning and understanding
When we approach conversations with curiosity, we are likely to have interesting conversational exchanges instead of directing a conversation for the sole purpose of finding a certain answer. Learn more ways to cultivate curiosity in your conversations from Cecilia’s blog here. The more we are curious, the more likely we are able to have a better understanding of each other and even ourselves. When people come to therapy with curiosity, they are likely to walk out with a more meaningful experience and reach positive change.
I encourage you to reflect on how you can stay curious in your life, and be open to discovering what possibilities may show up for you.
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