Curiosity
Curiosity
I have recently found that many aspects of my life have been leading to one discovery… curiosity. But what does curiosity actually mean? This might get quite heavy so just bear with me.
You may remember from my earlier blog that I became curious about the science of meditation or ‘mindfulness’ in 2009. I have been on that journey ever since and I recently gained more insight into what the “attitude of curiosity, openness, and acceptance” actually means. Picture trying to meditate on the beach and it starts raining, the wind hits you in the face, and to top it all off, some kite surfers decide to pack up right next to you. Anyone would get annoyed, right? That was my first reaction as well.
The idea of mindfulness is that there is a stimulus, which is followed by a response. In between lies the freedom to decide how to respond. In real life, the response is usually hardwired into your brain, in other words, you just react automatically with no freedom to decide. Practicing mindfulness can help you find the curiosity to examine your options. Take my beach meditation, for example. Instead of reacting I made the rain, the wind, and the noises contributing parameters of my meditation. After all, they were part of my present moment. I was curious about their contribution rather than annoyed about their intrusion.
At Ozgene, our vision is ‘to advance humanity – inspire curiosity’ and we aim to ‘develop people’. How exactly do we do that? It has to do with curiosity as well.
The Ozgene team members have ‘gap maps’ where they assess their skills and define their ‘current state’. The ideal ‘future state’ is then set together with the team. The aim is to find the right gap in between the two states. Just doing things that you already know may be comfortable, but eventually it will lead to boredom. On the other hand, if the gap is too big, it will lead to stress and anxiety. The gap needs to be just right, so that it inspires you to be curious to learn more.
Another curious way to develop people at Ozgene is through Jishukens, which I discussed in my April blog. They could be described as retreats, where you explore a given topic in a purposeful, non-judgmental way. Sounds like meditation, right? Ozgene aims to have a Jishuken every second week so I’ve had my fair share, but none are the same. You never quite know what the outcome will be, except that it always exceeds our expectations! In Jishukens the participants have the freedom to be curious and that’s where magic happens.
My suggestion is to look at the world with curiosity. Be curious – be in the present moment and pay attention in a purposeful, non-judgmental way, and see where it takes you! Isn’t that what science is all about?
– Frank, CEO –
