Hitting rock bottom in my early 30s forced me to ask the questions of “Who am I? What do I want? What am I passionate about?” I found myself grappling with these fundamental questions about my identity and purpose. Little did I know that this challenging chapter in my life would lead me to a profound transformation, fueled by the one skill that became my guiding light – curiosity.   In my latest podcast I share in further detail how I leverage my curiosity to live a more fulfilling life, sharing my personal insights experiences and research-backed tips for you to start doing today.  Below in this post you will find a summary of this episode, “CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO CHANGE YOUR STORY” from MY HAPPY MORNINGS podcast available available on Apple & Spotify.

Having a curious mind is such a precious gift to me, propelling me to embrace new opportunities and foster personal growth on a daily basis. My skill of curiosity has contributed not only to a more exciting life for me in the last for years, but also to my overall well-being and happiness, enhancing self-awareness and becoming more open minded. When I decided it was time to leave my old life behind and that I needed a challenge to rewrite my story, I had to tap into my curiosity, so that I could rediscover and embrace my authentic version of myself. I immersed myself in learning a new language, exploring my passions, and understand how to open and run an international business on my own. Curiosity is the one skill I began to use more during my therapy session while I was navigating my rock bottom of divorce, burnout and depression. My ongoing curiosity has lead me to living a more authentic and meaningful life, helping me to overcome challenges, discover new skills, and stimulate my personal and professional growth. Approaching life with an open mind triggers me to dig deep into self-reflection and helps me to foster an inquisitive mindset, propelling me to explore possibilities and seek answers. Constantly investing time in being curious about myself, even in uncomfortable situations, has fueled my creativity and taught me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

But how? Here are my secrets to tapping into my curiosity:

• Cultivate an open mind: I practice actively listening without judgment, embracing new ideas, and exploring topics that ignite my spark. From reading, listening to podcasts, taking courses on subjects I am curious to know more about are all natural ways to fuel my curiosity.
• Unplug and be present: Observing the world I am living in or the world around me, I journal my thoughts, and practice mindfulness. This stimulates my brain and nurtures my creative thinking.
• Embrace the beginner’s mindset: I don’t know it all. I ask questions, I learn from my mistakes, and embrace progress over perfection. I approach my beginner’s mindset as a way to gain a deeper understanding of what I am learning about.
• Take action: Curiosity without action is a spark without a flame. I put my questions into practice, experiment, and see where it takes me. I have learned to be vulnerable in situations allowing me to uncover new opportunities, overcome my challenges and consistently push myself to evolve.

The benefits I found from using curiosity as a way to challenge myself to change my story?

• Overcoming my fear of failure: My approach involves embracing curiosity to reframe my setbacks, transforming them into valuable learning opportunities. This shift in perspective has notably diminished my fear of failure, fostering an open-minded stance toward challenges.
• Conquering my anxiety: I leverage curiosity intentionally, introducing new knowledge into my life as a powerful tool against anxiety. This deliberate pursuit disrupts anxious thoughts, nurturing a less reactive and more balanced mental state.
• Boosting my focus and memory: Managing ADHD is aided by my innate curiosity, triggering dopamine release that enhances focus and memory. This chemical response serves as a transformative element in navigating attention-related challenges.
• Feeling accomplished and less embarrassed: My proactive engagement with curiosity propels me towards pursuing ambitions and extracting meaning from experiences. This mindset not only elevates my self-worth but also diminishes feelings of embarrassment, paving the way for personal growth and fulfillment.

Research Behind the Power of Curiosity:

Curiosity and Longevity: A study by Gary Swan and Dorit Carmelli suggests that as individuals age, curiosity can contribute to both longevity and an improved quality of life.

Comprehensive Benefits: Another study highlights the comprehensive benefits of curiosity, including enhanced job satisfaction, increased engagement, improved social relationships, and a boost in innovation at work.

Role in Learning and Memory: Research indicates that curiosity plays a fundamental role in learning and memory. When curiosity is sparked, it enhances learning by increasing attentional processes during information seeking, resulting in improved memory retention.

Openness to Unfamiliar Experiences: Curiosity creates openness to unfamiliar experiences, leading to the discovery of joy. This trait can be nurtured and developed through continuous practice and learning.

Facilitating Growth and Learning: Curious individuals are more likely to grow and learn, as curiosity enables them to explore and discover new things, both about the world and themselves.

Significance in Self-Discovery: If contemplating a self-discovery journey, curiosity plays a significant role by encouraging individuals to ask questions about their lives, ponder over meanings, and ultimately explore and grow as human beings.

Ready to tap into your own curiosity? Here’s how I do it:

• Practice self-care: I’ve discovered that a healthy mind is a curious mind. I prioritize taking care of myself, both physically and mentally.
• Seek new experiences: I actively step outside my comfort zone and engage in activities that pique my interest, constantly seeking opportunities for growth.
• Challenge limiting beliefs: Drawing from my experience, I practice my challenging limiting beliefs. Therapy was instrumental for me, along with reading, listening to podcasts, traveling and mindfulness.
• Connect with others: Recognizing the enriching power of conversations, I prioritize connecting with others that are like minded to deepen my understanding of this beautiful world we live in and myself.
• Embrace discomfort: I’ve learned that it’s in the messy moments that we learn and grow the most. I actively embrace discomfort as a catalyst for curiosity and personal development.
• Change your environment: Understanding the impact of environment on curiosity, I believe that sometimes, a fresh start sparks fresh curiosity. Changing my environment encouraged me to continuous learning. I feel everyday I am learning something new either about myself, others, business, life lessons and my passions.
• Spend time alone: I’ve found that being comfortable just being with myself + my dog Bruno helped me tap into my creativity fueling my curiosity. Whether through journaling, traveling solo, meditating, or hiking, I believe your practices that bring you joy when you are alone unlock new insight to your own happiness within.
• Be vulnerable: Drawing from personal experience, I understand that stepping outside of my comfort zone meant I had to be vulnerable.

I now see curiosity as such a powerful driver of my own self-discovery journey, as it has lead to so many benefits in my life especially a mindset of exploring, learning, and growing as an independent woman. 

Can you answer these questions?

Who am I?

What do I want?

What am I passionate about?

Am I living a life I love being my authentic version of myself?

For over three years now, I’ve embraced life on the edge, using transitions to challenge my self to rewrite my story with confidence, waking up each morning with a wild heart ready to dance with the unknown. In the face of the obstacles on my journey to becoming the person I aspire to be, I’ve come to understand that my happiness and quality of my life are under my control. Recognizing myself as the hero of my story, I’ve had to eliminate my doubts and embrace each moment in my adventure, understanding that my journey isn’t solely about reaching a destination but accepting and appreciating all of the messy, simple, and beautiful moments along the way.

There was a time when I was so ready to say goodbye to all of my doubts, transform my fears into fuel, silence my inner critics, and shed my old self—all crucial steps I had to do so that I could begin challenging myself to change my story. If you’re itching to take these next steps my “How to Rewrite Your Story with Love & Confidence is a 7-day challenge that awaits you. Through my personal challenges, I not only explored curiosity but also translated it into concrete actions, to achieving my new goals I set for myself. Now it’s your opportunity to begin living, learning, growing, and thriving to becoming the best version of yourself like I have been doing. The most fulfilling investment I’ve ever made is in myself, and I am so happy to extend this invitation to you. Thank you for being here with me, and I am excited to hear how you are going to challenge yourself to change your story, just as I did, because I know you can too.