What does it take to be smart or intelligent? I asked myself this a lot when I was in high school. I was smart enough but didn’t belong to the National Honor Society. I took some tough classes along the way, but only ended up with a 3.2 GPA. I decided that there were a lot of people that were much smarter than I was. We all know that high school is not the exclusive predictor of future success. I possessed something very important that wouldn’t become useful until much later. I had a curious and inquisitive nature.
My mom would always talk about how I exhausted her with all my questions as a kid. Why mom? Why? Why? How does this work? From what she says, I was relentless about finding out how and why things worked the way they did. Being inquisitive is the foundation of a lifetime of learning, which is far more valuable than a good GPA in high school, if you ask me. In our current era of exponential technological growth, all the essential information is at our finger tips every day. We must ask the questions, and then do the research. This will be the essentials of developing knowledge for the foreseeable future. Are you inquisitive? Do you ask questions that other people do not?
What things capture your curiosity, and cause you to question? What aspect of our world, your profession, or life here on Earth are you exploring now?
It has become very clear to me that the most successful and happy people around me consider themselves lifetime learners and I do as well. This way of approaching life requires you to stretch your inquisitive nature on a regular basis. Read as often as you can make time for and explore parts of the world that are different than yours. Pick a new topic and get a new book this week. Start a new exploration endeavor that will enrich and challenge your life.
This blog is part of a series from the book Discover Your Best Life by Mike Hintz. His personal, professional, and spiritual growth tools are also featured in Northlink Retreats. If this topic resonates with you consider reading the book or attending one of the upcoming retreats.