This Post is an excerpt from the book The Destiny Formula, which is now available on Amazon.
In the film The Theory of Everything, the life of the famous physicist Stephen Hawking was portrayed.
The movie showed his gradual deterioration due to his ALS, and it was inspiring to see how he overcame difficult circumstances and revolutionized the world of science.
What I want to talk about today is what makes him such a great man and what pushed him to reach great heights in spite of his debilitating disease.
If there was one word I could attribute to his success it would be this: curiosity.
He was an infinitely curious person. You would have to be in order to seek a theory that describes everything in the universe. He challenged much of the conventional wisdom in the scientific community.
At times he was scoffed at and told that his theories were merely pipe dreams, but later on the movie shows that his ideas proved to be the new model to follow scientifically.
Today I want to talk about how curiosity can propel you to reach great heights.
All of the great thinkers in history were extremely curious people. They looked at the world as it was and pondered on what could possibly be done to change the world and also people’s perception of it.
Every invention, from things such as the light bulb, the automobile, the airplane, and many others, were products of curiosity and imagination.
What I see in the world today is a lack of curiosity in many people. Many people are simply moving through time, going through the motions, and keeping busy or entertaining themselves.
I call this way of thinking and living “The Theory The Nothing.”
We go through our formal education, and then once it is complete, the learning stops forever.
As children we were extremely curious, and more than willing to learn. Take a look at a child when it is intrigued and fascinated by something its unfamiliar with. See how their eyes light up with passion, excitement, and interest. Then take a look at an adult who is just going through the motions. Their eyes are devoid of passion, excitement, and interest.
Somewhere along the line things changed.
The word education comes from the Latin “educe,” which means “to draw out.”
It seems as if our education system is doing the exact opposite. The way we educate our children today is based on the assumption that they aren’t naturally intelligent, and need to be force fed information through a rigid set of guidelines and tedious tasks in order to learn.
The only thing that is needed is an environment that is conducive to learning and the children will flourish on their own.
There should be a much more open ended approach to learning. Our kids are much more intelligent than we give them credit for.
Our education system beats the curiosity out of our children. It turns learning into a tiresome chore.
By the time most of us reach adulthood we are so tired of learning, and are ready to adopt “The Theory of Nothing.”
We go to work during the day, doing something that is minimally engaging for most of us, and then we go home and plop our butts on the couch and watch TV for hours.
We don’t think about how to improve the quality of our lives. We don’t look up to the sky and fathom the infinite vastness of the universe. We don’t do much of anything really.
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau.
A lack of curiosity and the adoption of the “Theory of Nothing,” leads to a life of quiet desperation.
My challenge to you is to get back the curiosity that was stolen from you in your childhood.
Read more. Try something different like learning a new language or playing the guitar. Meditate. Get into a state of deep thinking about your life and what it means to you. Do all of the things you want to do in life so that you have no regrets.
The masses who lead lives of quiet desperation will weep and scream in the last minutes of their life. You don’t want your lack of curiosity to lead to a life filled with regret.
Begin with the end in mind. Explore your mind and seek out ways to be innovative. Use your curiosity to fuel your train on the track of destiny.
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I recently wrote a book on finding your life’s purpose and overcoming your fear of failure. It’s available on amazon for just under a buck (limited time offer).