curiosity

C.Q. stands for Curiosity Quotient. In other words, do you have a “hungry mind”? A mind that yearns to learn? An inquisitive spirit? Curiosity is a major building block of innovation and progress and has been variously defined as a “strong desire to learn or know” or a “need, thirst or desire for knowledge”. Indeed, a Harvard Business Review article went so far as to claim that curiosity was as important as intelligence in managing today’s complex world (August 27, 2014 by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic), stating that people with high C.Q.’s were “more tolerant of ambiguity… (with a) nuanced, sophisticated, subtle thinking style… (and) higher levels of intellectual investment and knowledge acquisition.”

Without a doubt, curious people lead more interesting lives, and the absence of curiosity has been linked to boredom and ennui, two most unpleasant states! The wonderful thing is that while IQ is largely fixed, both EQ and CQ flourish when nurtured. 

Closing Quotes:

“You have to say, ‘Wait a second. Why are we doing it this way? Could it be better? Could it be different?’ That kind of curiosity, that explorer’s mind, that childlike wonder, that’s what makes an inventor.” – Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder 

 “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

“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, 1901-1966

“We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire; the more we see, the more we are capable of seeing.” – Maria Mitchell, 1818-1889, discoverer in 1847 of “Miss Mitchell’s Comet”

As always, I share what I most want/need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier