As we grow older, one of the biggest obstacle to our growth and success is losing our childhood curiosity.
In our younger days, we were like fearless adventurers, constantly seeking new experiences and asking endless “why” and “how” questions.
But as we mature, our once wild and inquisitive minds begin to fade. We start to avoid the unknown and stick to what’s familiar.
We stop asking questions as we used to, thinking we already have all the answers. But as Confucius said, “The one who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.”
Curiosity is one of the secrets to growth and success. Your ability to question things is critical to making changes and improving your quality of life.
Asking questions changes your life. As Indira Gandhi said, “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”
If you want to move forward, start asking more questions about yourself, about others, and about why things are the way they are.
Most people allow their work and career to dominate their life and relegate their family and relationships to the background.
They think that by working really hard to make tons of money and afford nice things for their loved ones, everything will be okay.
Unfortunately, they learn too late that life is too short, and no matter how much money they make or the career success they achieve, what counts at the end of the day is the quality of relationships they have with those who truly matter to them.
If you don’t have a meaningful connection with people you care about, all the money and luxury can’t fill that void.
When all is said and done, when all the world no longer remembers what a great employee you once were (because they’ll forget about you), the only people you’re left with are the people you never had time for.
Your company and the rest of the world have only a tiny part in your life.
Focus on cultivating deep and meaningful connections with those who have a bigger stake in your life.
They’re the ones who will follow you through thick and thin. They’re the ones who will share in your joy and laughter.
The vast majority of people are good at giving advice. They know the right things to do. They preach about honesty and kindness. They have all the answers to every problem.
The only thing they don’t do is follow their own advice. They don’t practise what they preach.
It’s a classic case of the Solomon paradox.
I’ve learned that giving advice is easy; what’s harder is following our own advice. Only a tiny fraction of people walk the talk.
If you want to change your life, be a doer, not just a talker.
Look for people who are not mere talkers but have proof of what they’re talking about, and learn from them.
If your goal is to improve your relationship, finance, or any area of your life, find people who have the results you’re looking for and follow what they teach.
Imagine sitting on a stool with just one leg. It’s like trying to balance yourself on a delicate tightrope of uncertainty. Just a slight push can send you toppling over.
That’s exactly what many people do when they try to build their life around one thing, like their career. They think they can’t be anything else apart from their work.
Real success is holistic. It’s multi-dimensional, and a stable life is built on a number of critical pillars that encompass different aspects of your life, including your relationships, personal growth, health, etc.
Real success is holistic. It’s multi-dimensional, and a stable life is built on a number of critical pillars that encompass different aspects of your life, including your relationships, personal growth, health, etc.
If you want to have a fulfilling life, you want your life to stand on a well-rounded, resilient structure. You don’t want your life to be in shambles because you lost your job.
Even if something goes wrong in one area, you want to be able to have other areas supporting you.
Most people are not successful because they’re waiting for that one big break or stroke of luck that will catapult them to overnight success.
When we see a completed edifice, it’s easy to gush over the finished beauty and give little thought to the process. It’s often the daily effort of laying the brick, one at a time, that makes it possible.
In the same way, success is not overnight.
Your success is not determined by the achievement of the extraordinary; it’s about the small everyday effort you put in day-in, day-out. It’s the consistent actions, like adding one brick at a time.
As you show up every day and do your best, each small step builds on the others.
The process may seem slow or even challenging, but every effort counts. With each brick laid, we grow stronger, more skilled, and more experienced.
If you try to become an expert the first time you try something new, you’ll be disappointed and quit.
Everybody who is an expert at something started by being an amateur and doing it badly at first.
The first time you ever attempt to make a pancake, you may not get it right.
My first article on Writers’ Column several years ago was crap. It had no bearing and was poorly formatted. Nobody read it.
It’s the same for most people.
The question is what you do when you first start: do you let your mistakes make you quit, or are you going to commit to improving on your craft one day at a time?
Growth is gradual; it takes time. It’s challenging.
It’s your ability to go through the growth process without quitting that helps you build traction and guarantees your success.
So, whether it’s making pancakes, writing, meeting people, or learning a new skill, the key to finally getting it right is not to give up after the first failed attempt.