Ikigai Thought for Today
Approaching life with humility and curiosity.
Audio narration by David Marlow
I love being certain.
While I love it when I’m certain about something, it is indeed a rare occasion.
Voltaire, who was known to drink 100 cups of coffee a day said, "Doubt is uncomfortable; certainty is ridiculous."
While we believe we are right about probably quite a bit in our lives, we cannot be certain about everything.
That's okay.
We have to operate with some assumptions, and when new information comes along, it changes our understanding.
I bring this up because being certain about too many things closes the door to discovery.
To discover new ways of working, we must be humble enough to open our minds to the idea that our current understanding of the world might be wrong.
In addition to humility, we must remain curious.
Curiosity is the key to almost all growth as an adult.
Without it, we stagnate. With it, whole new worlds open to us.
Humility and curiosity are a potent combination.
I believe some things very intensely. I operate as if that view is correct. We iterate towards the truth, towards certainty.
Seeking truth and hoping to get nearer to it each time.
We must remain open in our approach; of that, I'm certain.
As Michael Crichton remarked, I remain "...certain there is too much certainty in the world."
🌀 Here are some reflection questions to challenge being certain.
🌱 What have you changed your mind about? Why?
🌱 Where can you embrace your curiosity to discover a new perspective?
🌱 How might you approach this week with an open mind, humility, and curiosity?