How to Use Curiosity as a Tool for Growth

Sometimes a question arrives so quietly you don’t realize it’s about to change everything. There was a moment when I asked Rob Bell on So Many Questions… a seemingly innocuous of “why?” and that completely shifted the direction of the conversation. The air softened. The story deepened. Something vulnerable opened between us that neither of us expected.

That’s when I understood that curiosity isn’t decoration. It’s not a cute personality trait or a quick way to gather interesting facts. It’s a tool that can widen a moment, loosen a knot inside you, or lead you somewhere you didn’t know you needed to go.

I want to explore curiosity the way I’ve come to feel curiosity: as a posture, a mindset, a gentle companion for growth. We’ll look at how curiosity shapes your inner world, your relationships, your creativity, and your sense of purpose. And maybe by the end, you’ll have a few questions of your own stirring quietly in the background.

What curiosity actually means

Curiosity isn’t just “asking questions.” It’s the way you look at something before rushing to protect yourself from the unknown.

There’s the surface kind. The quick interest in a new show or a random fact you hadn’t heard before. And then there’s the deeper kind, the kind that asks: What’s really happening here? What am I not seeing yet? What’s beneath the first (or second) layer?

Psychologists call curiosity an information-seeking drive, but it feels more human than that. It feels like an opening, a softening around the edges of your certainty. The more I learn, the more convinced I am that curiosity isn’t a fixed personality trait; it’s a skill you can practice, a doorway you can choose to walk through again and again.

The real takeaway is simple: curiosity isn’t about the question itself, it’s about the willingness to stay with what you don’t yet know.

Why curiosity helps you grow

Curiosity expands self-awareness

Some days the most honest question you can ask yourself is, Why did I respond like that? Curiosity pulls at the loose threads of your habits. It reveals assumptions you didn’t realize you were carrying. With time, those tiny “why” and “what if” moments can help you rewrite old stories and see yourself with more clarity and compassion.

Curiosity deepens relationships

There’s a kind of listening that happens only when you’re truly curious about someone. Not listening to figure out the ways to fix them. Not to analyze them. Just to know them. I’ve seen guests on the podcast soften when they realize I’m not looking for the “right” answer. I’m looking for them. Curiosity builds trust because it tells the other person, “I want to understand you.”

Curiosity ignites creativity

Most creative sparks arrive as a quiet “what if?” Curiosity lets you step outside the tight borders of what you already know. It welcomes mistakes as part of discovery. It encourages play and experimentation, and it reminds you that creativity isn’t about brilliance; it’s about noticing the tug toward something new.

Curiosity builds resilience

When life becomes uncertain, curiosity helps you stay flexible. It reframes challenges as invitations. It nudges you toward exploration instead of collapse. Researchers link curiosity to well-being and adaptability, but to me, it feels like a gentle kind of strength, a willingness to keep turning toward life even when it feels unfamiliar.

Practices for cultivating curiosity

Curiosity grows when you give it small places to breathe. Here are a few gentle practices you can bring into your day.

Shift to better questions

Try asking “What else could be happening?” or “What assumption am I making right now?” Good questions create space.

Follow what intrigues you

If something sparks a tiny pulse of interest. A phrase, a thought, a detail, pause, and let it lead you for a moment.

Journal with curiosity

Prompts like “What surprised me today?” or “Where did I resist asking a question?” can uncover what you didn’t realize you were holding.

Listen without agenda

If you have an agenda, you’re not listening, you’re gathering. Listen to what the other person is saying. Try allowing silence to stretch a little longer than usual. Curiosity often enters in the quiet.

Try on the opposite viewpoint

Ask yourself, “If I believed the opposite for one minute, what would I see?” This isn’t about changing your mind; it’s about widening it. Being able to see a situation or conversation from another person’s perspective gives us valuable insight into other people and will round out our lived experience with the experiences of those around us.

Play in the unknown

Do something small outside your routine. Take a different route to the store (without using Google Maps). Change up your standard coffee or tea order. Curiosity grows through gentle novelty.

Reflect on moments of curiosity

At the end of the week, ask, “When was I curious? And what opened or closed me in those moments?” This will help keep you aware of curiosity. Don’t worry if you can’t think of something, just try again next week.

When curiosity feels threatening

Curiosity can stir discomfort. It challenges certainty and exposes tender places. Sometimes it even brings you to the edge of an old belief you didn’t know you were ready to reconsider.

When that happens, try this:

• Notice the discomfort as a sign that something important is unfolding.
• Give yourself boundaries; curiosity doesn’t have to be relentless.
• Stay gentle with yourself. This isn’t interrogation, it’s exploration.
• Keep questions grounded in the present moment so they don’t spiral into overthinking.

Curiosity should feel like a hand resting lightly on your back, not a shove.

Living a curious life

Curiosity doesn’t always spark dramatic change. Most of the time it simply nudges a moment in a slightly different direction, and that small shift becomes the thing that alters everything.

Curiosity is less a technique and more a way of being. It asks you to live in the small tension between knowing and wondering, between certainty and openness. It doesn’t demand that you abandon your beliefs, only that you stay awake to the possibility that there’s more to learn.

Start with one question. Maybe the question you’ve been avoiding. Let it unfold slowly. Let it change your pace. Let it bring you closer to yourself, and to the people around you. Growth often begins the moment you let curiosity take the lead. Even for a breath.

Call to Action

If this article resonated, explore episodes where we lean into curiosity:

• Rob Bell interview
• Ethan Marcotte interview
• Ken Seng interview

Or to ask your own question, DM the show on Instagram, and maybe it becomes an episode.