Ep 02: Follow your curiosity!

On 14th January 2021, I was reading this book – 50 Toughest Questions of Life by Deepak Ramola. It’s an incredible book, very purposeful & profound. There is always something new to reflect upon whenever you read such a life lesson book. But this one has a different catch in the same genre. Why?

This book is more of a question oriented for which the answers you would love to ask yourself or you would love someone to ask you & give you their complete attention. You have an answer to life & living. But did you ask the right question? And this question is not for the world outside but for the world inside and that is what matters the most. These questions make you ponder the answers that you already have. It perplexes the mind only to find the truth in your answers and simplifies your life by empowering you with clarity.

During my read, I chanced upon a quote by Elizabeth Gilbert, ‘Follow your curiosity and not your passion’ in the 14th Question of the book which is ‘How do you want people to discover you long after you are gone?’

This is something very interesting to reflect. All this while, in Life2.1 I have been thinking & questioning my decision towards Experiential Living. The journey that I have taken whether it is in the right direction? There are so many uncertainties looming around my decisions. Some of the decisions are directly challenging my stable incomes. This will impact the stability of living life not only for me but for my family as well. So, there is a certain amount of fear around the new life living journey that I have chosen for myself.

Such kind of uncertainties & fear, questions your quest for living your life your way. The environment around you doesn’t nurture such thoughts & actions. We are expected to live life as Life1.0. You are constantly struggling to ensure that the decisions you have taken towards the direction of your calling, is in the right direction. You are answerable to the environment around you which includes your family, business, infrastructure & communication. You do not have much control over all these. And you are constantly reminded by yourself, of the fact that you are doing something which is uncertain. And this leads to fear of – ‘What if?’

How do I tackle such a situation wherein I am constantly shuffling my thoughts between Life 1.0 & Life 2.1 when I am constantly questioning my own decisions? Amidst such mindset, I chanced upon this phrase - ‘Follow your curiosity and not your passion’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. And I started to apply it in my decisions.

My curiosity is leading me to my passion which is still in the making. And when I was nurturing my curiosity by questioning my #Life1.0 I got passionate about slowing down. When I started slowing down, I started to see so many things which I wanted to do. Still couldn’t identify my passion. I started indulging in curiosity. It was like playing Holi. I was smearing different colors in my face & still not being sure of how I am going to look. But I submitted myself to this process without worrying too much how I may look once the process is over.

Acknowledging the curiosity was the best decision I have taken so far.

The curiosity to challenge my existence the way it is- is leading me to various forms of passion. It is opening a pandora of newness. I am excited and thrilled! There is so much to grasp, so much to admire, so much to appreciate & so much to learn & unlearn. There is a freshness to everyday & this brings a smile when I think of it. And mind you, this is not my passion. It is just a stepping stone to something unknown.