Get Curious and Amazing Things Happen.
or….. How to move forward in life.
Moving ourselves out of “I don’t know” and into action can be as simple as getting curious. So how can we do this?
We often tell ourselves that we don’t know how to do something. For example, how to move forward in life. In fact, much of the time we are so able to convince ourselves about how much we don’t know that we aren’t able to move forward! Not even an inch! YIKES! So we stay stuck in whatever mushy, messy, dark place we are in. Instead of taking action we keep repeating how much we hate it and how much we don’t know. Blech!
THE BEST WAY TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU WANT TO, IS TO MOVE TOWARDS THE VERY PARTS OF IT THAT SCARE THE SH*T OUT OF YOU.
So what’s the answer? Get curious!
I have to admit that in general I’m a HUGE fan of curiosity. I’ve found it to be one of the best ever ways to get unstuck and get moving. And that means moving towards my goals. Being curious opens up all sorts of options for me to explore my options without shame, guilt or fattening calories.
How does the magic of curiosity work?
Read on and you’ll have the whole shebang right at your fingertips!
Spend some time quizzing yourself about what you really want and what steps you need to take to move closer to your goal.
Use Curiosity to Create Opportunities
- Write down something you want to accomplish this year.
- Now write down your own “I don’t know” statement about this. What is the thing you are telling yourself you don’t know how to do, or don’t know enough about that is keeping you from just diving right into creating whatever it is you are dreaming of doing? Here are some examples…. “I don’t know the first thing about……” OR, “I never in my life have…..” OR that all-time classic, “I’m not a person who…..”.
- Next close your eyes, go on….. We’ve got time. Take 3 deep breaths and let all those thoughts go bye bye.
- Take a fresh sheet of paper.. Go ahead, splurge! Write out the following sentence: “What hints can I find all around me that can help me take action and move me forward?” Think B R O A D L Y. What have you read or seen in the past week? What about that guy next to you in line getting coffee who said he knew about…….? Or the poster you saw for a workshop or Meetup? Wasn’t there something a friend mentioned in passing or a post on Instagram or FB that was somehow related?
- List at least 10 “hints” that you have to help you move closer to your accomplishment.
- Draw a ◯ next to the easiest one and draw a ✓ next to the one that fills you with fear.
- Now take a minute and write down why one feels easier and one induces a desire to run back to bed and hide under the covers.
- Lastly, make a commitment to yourself to follow up with ALL the hints on your list in the next 7-10 days.
Here’s the thing…..
The best way to accomplish what you want is to move towards the very parts of it that scare the crap out of you. The more some aspect scares you, the more you are coming right up against some hidden idea you have about what you are capable of. The deeper into that scary thing you go- the faster it’s going to show up kicking and screaming and then….. Then you get to move beyond it.
I’ll say it again…
Meet fear with curiosity and you will be able to see the fear for what it is. Call it fiction or a story or past history, it ain’t got much to do with how and who you are in the world RIGHT NOW! The minute you unearth that hidden belief, it can’t wield its magical powers over you.
Which means.. TA-DA! It can’t keep you stuck in the same way any longer.
