This week’s Mental Sunshine is one of those things that requires a little bit of practice.
But I think it’s worth it in the long run.
This week we’re talking about curiosity.
There are two sides of this.
The first is the idea that we can be curious instead of being judgmental.
When we meet someone with different ideas or opinions to us.
So instead of immediately judging them as “wrong” we can be curious –
Why do they feel that way?
What’s made them think this?
When we label someone’s opinions as “wrong” in our heads we shut down any chance of connection with them.
When we make an effort to wonder why they feel this way, this fosters connection –
We can reach out and ask questions and learn more about our fellow humans.
The second part of this is cultivating curiosity generally in our lives.
If you look at a small child, they’re forever curious.
Looking at the world around them in amazement.
What does this do?
What happens if I do this?
What happens if I push
What happens when I pull?
Can I balance on this?
As adults we lose this curiosity
We (assume we) already know what most things are or do.
So we stop exploring and experimenting.
We lose that sense of playfulness
The curiosity as to what might or could happen.
We become more open to investigating and exploring the world.
We might even have some fun
And fun equals mental sunshine!
Try it out today.
Remind yourself to be curious at every available opportunity, and see what happens!