Curiosity Did Not Kill The Cat (What’s The Big Idea, Part 1)

June 5, 2023

So I wanna share with you some hard-earned wisdom. After 20-plus years of living as an artist, I’ve got three BIG ideas about life. This post is part one of a three-part series. Today I’ll focus on why curiosity is good for you. Like this:

Part 1. Three BIG ideas about life.
Part 2. You’re here to expand your creativity.
Part 3. Why curiosity did not kill the cat.

Let’s go!

Part 1. Three BIG ideas about life.

BIG idea number 1. Your purpose:
You’re here to expand your creativity.

BIG idea number 2. Your process:
You’re in the process of making a beautiful life.

BIG idea number 3. Your practice:
Your only job is to crack the shell of your resistance.

Colorful paper collage with a map-like patchwork of playful shapes on pink background by Alex Mitchell.

Part 2. You’re here to expand your creativity.
Let’s explore BIG idea number 1. You’re here to expand your creativity. First off, let’s define creativity:

Your creativity is your genius.

When you’re expressing your genius you’re simply sharing your enthusiasm for life.

“When we are creative we express the joy of being alive.”
- Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

And your joy of being alive is directly linked to your desires. So next, let’s define desires:

Your desires are your gifts.

Any big desire welling up inside of you is a gift for you to receive. Why? Because it will always lead you to become who you want to be.

In other words, to become who you want to be, you’ve gotta own your desires.

No matter how big and impossible they may feel. No matter what anyone else may think about them. They’re yours. And the sooner you own them, the happier you’ll be.

And not only are your desires gifts for you to receive, but they’re also your gifts to give. Yep, by owning your desires you get to share them with the world. Yay!

• Your desires = your gifts to receive:
They guide you to become who you want to be.

• Your desires = your gifts to give:
You give yourself away in the process of becoming who you want to be.

To summarize, you’re here to expand your creativity. As in, to express your genius. And the first step is to own your desires.

All you need is a little curiosity.

Now when you think of desires, you might immediately think of passions. We hear a lot about why we should all be pursuing our passions.

But I think this idea is creating more havoc than good. I have people in my life that beat themselves up because they don’t know what their passion is supposed to be.

The best thing you can do when you feel this way is to forget about passion. And think about curiosity instead.

Curiosity is a remarkable thing. Because when you pursue your curiosity, you always end up doing wonderful things for the rest of us. Smile.

Colorful paper collage with large round shapes forming a spiral on white background by Alex Mitchell.

Part 3. Why curiosity did not kill the cat.
I'm sure you've heard the expression curiosity killed the cat a million times. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why we use it?

Mostly it's used as a warning. As in, don't go meddling or poking your nose where you're not welcome. Being too curious can get you in a heap of trouble.

Well, it’s a lie.

I’m sure you’ve heard all about the benefits of mindfulness. Right? It’s a very very very good thing. Namely, mindfulness is all about being present.

Being present is all about being curious.

And maybe you’ve also heard about beginner’s mind. It’s a way of being open to what’s possible in the moment instead of reacting based on our habitual thinking.

And it’s also about the sense of wonder we feel when doing stuff for the first time. In other words, it’s a very very very good thing.

“The richness of present-moment experience is the richness of life itself. Too often we let our thinking and our beliefs about what we 'know' prevent us from seeing things as they really are. We tend to take the ordinary for granted and fail to grasp the extra-ordinariness of the ordinary. To see the richness of the present moment, we need to cultivate what has been called beginner’s mind, a mind that is willing to see everything as if for the first time.”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

Curiosity is a good thing. Curiosity did not kill the cat. Nope, curiosity helps you be present and open to possibilities. And ya know what else?

Curiosity helps you thrive.

Because by cultivating your curiosity you nurture your creativity. In other words, you spark your enthusiasm for life. Yay!

And did ya know that to bring more creativity into your life, you don’t need to become a more creative person?

Nope, you only need to give yourself permission to play. Creative play is a means to express yourself for the sheer pleasure of being alive.