There is something I’ve noticed over the years. We don’t stop asking questions because we become older. We stop asking questions because we’ve already decided what we’re listening for.
Children ask questions because they assume they don’t know. Adults stop asking questions because they assume they do.
Somewhere along the way, many adults become less interested in asking questions and more interested in having answers.
When did you stop simply wanting to understand? Are you more committed to looking good or being right than you are to discovery and understanding?
That shift is subtle, but it has an extraordinary impact.
Experience doesn’t just give us knowledge. It also teaches us what to ignore. Expertise gives us confidence. Both are valuable. The challenge is that they can also create the illusion that we’ve already seen enough to know. Once that happens, curiosity begins to shrink. We stop exploring ideas we’ve already made up our minds about. We stop asking questions because we’ve convinced ourselves we already know the answer, or that we should know the answer and are afraid to ask.
I’ve found that the people who continue growing aren’t necessarily the ones with the most experience. They’re the ones who remain curious. They’re willing to question assumptions they’ve held for years. They’re willing to discover they don’t have the whole picture. They care more about learning than they do about appearing knowledgeable.
They are a student at their core.
Curiosity has a way of opening doors that certainty keeps closed. It invites us to listen more carefully. To consider perspectives we hadn’t considered before. To notice possibilities that were always there but hidden behind our assumptions.
This week, I’d invite you to choose one area of your life and ask a question you haven’t asked in a long time, or perhaps never asked.
Ask your spouse, “What conversation are we not having?” Ask someone on your team, “What’s getting in your way that we haven’t talked about?” Ask yourself, “What assumption have I been treating as a fact?” Or simply ask, “Where am I no longer a student?”
You may discover that one honest question creates more possibility than another month of having the same answers.
What future have you already decided isn’t possible?
Our next Create Powerful Course runs September 8–12. Each experience offers a different conversation, because each time you walk into the room, you’re bringing a different life with you. If it feels like it’s time to step back into the work, or to invite someone with whom you’re creating a future, we’d love to have you with us. Learn more and register at ontocore.com/createpowerful.