Let’s play. Imagine you have countless millions in the bank. You don’t need to work or worry about business or investing in any way.
- What would I do with my days?
- What would I devote my life to doing or to being?
- Who would I bring with me?
- What do I want to remember on my death bed?
Make a list and prioritise. Ensure that they truly are your interests as opposed to something you picked up along the way but that no longer gives you any energy. Indeed, are there interests behind the interests? Meaning, is what the interest represents (power, status….) more important than the interest itself?
Of the list, what one or two things are you most passionate about? Imagine yourself devoting yourself to these interests. What do you see? Tell me the story right now – “Tom, I see myself……..”
Sometimes, we’re lucky in that what really interests us is already part of our lives, so it is about finding ways of giving it a larger voice – of turning up the dial. On other occasions, it requires a complete shift. For example, there are countless stories from the ages of warriors, knights and even kings renouncing their former lives and joining monastic orders. They left lives of war and violence for lives of contemplation and prayer.
So, ask yourself:
- How do these interests currently show up in my life?
- How can I live more into them?
- What am I willing to sacrifice for these interests?
Questions in the Image:
- What really interests me?
- What excites me?
- What could I devote my life to doing?
- What could I devote my life to being?
Want to Read More Around This Topic?
Big Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (link to Amazon.co.uk). This book discusses the power of living a life driven by curiosity and creativity, which aligns with the author’s advocacy for a curiosity-driven life.
Nurturing Curiosity – Daily Practice: This is part of the Nurturing Curiosity series of tools, insights and questions designed to help nurture curiosity as part of our daily practice. In point of fact, every interaction we have is an opportunity to question what we are observing and how we and others are seeing the world. Also remember that questions come in many forms throughout our day. This question of What interests me? is very much on my mind. If I didn’t have to think of work, I would simply do more of what I am doing and yet it would be different. It would be around nurturing curiosity but specifically around major issues facing humanity. Many of them come from a failure or an unwillingness to question the stories we hold dear.
What Thoughts Would You Like to Share? My name is Tom O’Leary, and I envision a world in which curiosity shapes leadership. In this world, leaders aren’t boxed in by traditional thinking or established playbooks. They are open to fresh ideas and diverse perspectives, fostering a culture of exploration and learning. My mission is to shift leadership focus from authority, over-measurement and control to curiosity, learning and innovation, empowering leaders to prioritise the essential. My journey, lived in a number of countries and through various languages, has always been driven by a profound sense of curiosity. In fact, life has taught me that possibility lies not so much in seeking answers but in learning to ask better questions – the ones that help prioritise what is truly essential. I welcome your thoughts, feedback, or personal experiences related to these questions or any insights they may have sparked.
