I am sure everyone here has heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat."
While the back story of this phrase is an interesting topic of discussion, I will not bore you with the details.
Just know that it was a thought experiment that was theorized by putting a cat in a box and releasing a toxic substance into the box that would kill the cat, but there was no way of knowing the cat was actually dead until someone opened the box to see if it was dead or not.
In this case, the cat would be both dead and alive and the only way of truly knowing is through the curiosity behind opening the box.
Curiosity is an interesting subject because it is through our own curiosity that allows us to open up our capacity to learn new things.
By being curious about things, we naturally begin to look for answers to questions that we ask ourselves.
Let's use basic psychology as an example: if I asked you where anxiety comes from, different people would give different definitions of their own baseline understanding.
Some might say they feel anxious if they are in a room and are surrounded by too many people.
Some might say they get anxious sitting in traffic on the highway.
But, it I told you that anxiety in it's most raw form stems from one having too many options and not knowing which option to choose, this solidifies one's true understanding of a feeling that we have all experienced.
It isn't until one becomes curious to know exactly what something is that they truly begin to understand what that thing is and what it means.
When I first became curious in training horses, I began searching for the answers of the questions that I had: how horses think, why they behave the way that they do, how to earn a horse's respect etc.
I personally, am a rather curious individual and this is partially why I have tried so many different things in my life.
I wanted to learn how to get big and strong so I began looking for answers to getting big and strong almost twelve years ago.
I wanted to know what live entertainment was like, so I moved out to Las Vegas and searched for the answers.
This is also why I have become an avid book reader because I read to learn about things I have no knowledge of.
The point is, not being curious about things is exactly how people end up settling for mediocrity.
If you are constantly finding yourself unhappy in your current situation and you do nothing to search for answers as to how you can fix it, then you will end up settling for the situation you are in.
I find our own curiosity to be a superpower because it is a cheat code to finding the things in life that we truly enjoy and bring us peace.
I would have never thought to circle around back to being with horses again after not being around a horse for eighteen years if it wasn't for me exploring my own curiosity.
Now I work with horses for a living and I am continuing to learn as much as I possibly can to expand my knowledge and understanding of these animals as a result of my curiosity.
If there is anything that you have ever thought about that you would like to try or gain more understanding of, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not going out to learn more about that thing.
I believe the worst thing that a human can do is live with regret - regretting not going and talking to that girl that piqued your interest, or regret not moving to that place that you have always wanted to live.
As a man, our curiosity is what essentially makes us capable men.
It is our curiosity that allows us to go out into the world and learn new things that make us more capable men.
It is our curiosity that allows us to be more productive human beings.
If you are out of shape and have ever wondered what you would look like to be in great shape, there is only one way to find out!
You have to explore your own curiosity and learn how to train and how to diet, but you also have to do the work consistently to get results.
If you are not consistent with learning new things, then you are never going to truly understand what it is you're trying to learn.
I know what I am saying is basic common sense, but it is shocking how many people that do not explore their own curiosity.
If you ever wondered what something was like, there is only one way to find out and that is to go do it.
This doesn't go without mentioning that you may not always be able to do things right away, but that is what makes you curious about other things.
If you have ever wondered what it was like to go visit a foreign country but you cannot financially afford it at this moment, then you make it a goal to go visit that country and set a plan as to how to get there.
You're not making enough money?
Then study money and different ways as to how you can make more so that you can reach that goal.
This is is the stage that I am currently in in my life.
I have achieved all the goals that I have set for myself and I am in the process of achieving my long-term goal at the time of this writing.
But I also realize that the only way that I am going to reach my long-term goal is by learning new ways to leverage myself and give myself knowledge to build off of.
None of this is possible without curiosity.
You have to want to know more in order to leverage yourself in any situation that life has to offer.
When life gets hard, it is your curiosity and your consistency that is going to allow you to figure out new things and new ways of thinking to get yourself out of whatever bad situation you are finding yourself in.
The key here, like anything, is to take action.
You MUST take action towards the things you are curious about, otherwise, you are never going to find the answers you are looking for.
I believe anyone is truly capable of having whatever they want in their lives, but you have to be curious as to how you can obtain the things that you want.
Life is only going in one direction, so you either get on board or let the train pass you by and live the rest of your life wondering what your life may have been like if you did the thing you wish you did.
The choice is yours...