I Think Adults Forgot How to Be Curious

When was the last time you learned something just because you wanted to know?

• Not because it would help your career.

• Not because it might make you money.

• Not because someone on the internet told you it would make you more productive.

Simply because you were curious.

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, something changes.

As kids, we ask questions constantly, and if you are a parent, you feel this in your bones!

• Why is the sky blue?

• Why do birds fly?

• How do airplanes stay in the air?

• Why do octopuses have three hearts?

• Why, why, why, why, why!

We don't ask because we're trying to become experts.

We ask because the world is fascinating.

Then we grow up.

Instead of asking, "Why?" we start asking:

• "What's the point?"

• "Will this help my career?"

• "Can I make money from this?"

• "Is it worth my time?"

I think that's when we start losing our curiosity. Don't get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with turning a hobby into a business. Can it make you money? Absolutely. But does it have to? No.

Why can't we just enjoy something for the sake of enjoying it?

One of my favorite hobbies is crocheting. My grandmother taught me when I was five or six years old. To this day, the stitches live in my head and in my heart. It's one of those things I can pick up after months away and my hands just remember.

During COVID, I crocheted more than I had in years. Everywhere I turned, people told me the same thing. "You should sell these." At first, I thought maybe they were right. I even started sketching out a business plan!

• Pricing

• Materials

• Shipping

• Inventory

• Marketing

Then I stopped. Nope. The minute I started treating my hobby like a business, it stopped feeling like an escape and started feeling like another job.

• I didn't want deadlines.

• I didn't want customer expectations.

• I didn't want to wonder whether I had enough inventory to fill an order.

I wanted to sit on the couch with a cup of coffee, turn on a cooking show or "how it's made", and crochet because it made me happy. That was enough.

I think we've accidentally convinced ourselves that every talent should become a side hustle. We are being taught that every interest should become content and every passion should become profitable.

But maybe some things are more valuable because they stay hobbies.

Maybe they protect a little corner of our lives that's free from deadlines, expectations, and productivity.

Some of my favorite rabbit holes have included AI, Ancient Rome, typography, color theory, the science behind baking bread, middle-aged skincare, anti-inflammatory recipes, commercial real estate, octopuses with three hearts, and whatever random fact my brain decides we absolutely need to know that day.

Will I ever use all of it?

Probably not. 🤣

Has learning it made my world bigger? Without question!

The funny thing is, curiosity has a way of giving back anyway.

• A random documentary gives you a new perspective.

• A history book changes the way you think about leadership.

• A recipe teaches you the science behind baking.

• A conversation sends you down a rabbit hole you never expected.

You don't have to become an expert to be fascinated.

You don't have to monetize every hobby.

You don't have to justify learning something.

You don't have to have a reason.

Read the weird book.

Watch the documentary.

Learn something completely random.

Follow the rabbit hole.

Curiosity is enough.

The world gets a little bigger every time we let ourselves wonder.

I hope I never outgrow that.