Have you ever noticed how quickly time flies when you are actively involved in something you've taken a new interest in? Your curiosity draws you along as you make new discoveries about this new topic, and you are completely absorbed by it. For instance, you might drive down the street and notice a flock of birds circling an unusual birdhouse in someone's yard. Your thoughts focus on the design, and an investigation at a hardware store reveals not only the materials needed but also the designs to build a birdhouse of your own. You may never have thought about building a birdhouse before, but suddenly it piques your interest.
It's important to use this curiosity whenever it strikes you, for it has the potential to lead you to new discoveries about yourself. What are you curious about? What interests or excites you? It can be something simple like building a birdhouse or something more involved. Whatever it is, let yourself research and learn more about it. Take a class or join a group that enjoys this activity or strike out on your own if necessary. You may discover new facets of this activity that you want to explore further. This, in turn, may lead you toward a lifetime career you'd never imagined before.
The key to discovering your hidden gifts is to take action on that which piques your curiosity. Don't put it off. When you allow yourself to experience new activities you open your heart to new possibilities of what you can be. Don't allow the day-to-day obligations you face to limit you to a life filled with only what must be done. When you have time to look back and reflect on your life, you don't want it to be filled with regrets of what might have been. The following poem illustrates why.
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - (Anonymous)
"If I had to live my life over again, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I know of very few things I would take seriously. I would take more trips. I would be crazier. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. I would do more walking and looking. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.
I've been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, aspirin, and a parachute. If I had to do it over again, I'd go places, do things and travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies. I'd wear more purple."
Take time to act on that which draws your curiosity. Start today. Keep a small notepad and pen in a pocket or purse. When something makes you curiosity, jot down a few key words to jog your memory later when you can spend more time developing it. It may happen when you're standing in line at a store or while going to work. Whenever that moment strikes, you want to be able to capture the essence of it. As an example, consider the last time something captured your interest. Like lightning sparking across the sky, one idea may generate another uniquely new one and you could discover that which you've searched for all your life. Jot down a few key words below that encompass the basics about this curiosity and expand on them later when you have time. Barbara Stanny said, "Each of us was born with wingsÖ(and) has the ability to go farther than we ever thought possible, to do things beyond our wildest imaginings."
