Last year I ran a successful year-long program called Powered by Hope. The intent of the program is to help you follow your creative dreams by powering your spirit with hope! I am glad the program was so well received. This year, in addition to new posts, I will also be sharing a few of the best posts from the program. From now until the end of 2015, you will receive a minimum of two posts a month focused on hope. I hope you will enjoy them and that they will inspire you to follow your dreams!

BE CURIOUS

Ah, boredom. When my kids are home for the summer, it takes about two hours for them to come running to me with a well-used complaint: “We have nothing to do, we are bored.” What I have learned is that there is only one antidote for boredom: curiosity. I introduce them to things they know nothing about. Can they build me a kaleidoscope using my broken bangles? Can they learn how to plant mint? Can they learn to say six new words in Chinese? Yes, it keeps them busy but it also makes them smarter. One summer, my older son learned card tricks by watching YouTube. He is quite an expert now!

Curiosity is one of the most important skills we can obtain, and yes, it can be learned. To nurture your curiosity, begin by always asking questions. You will be surprised at how much people don’t know and how much they pretend to know! Go to places you would not normally visit: a hardware store, a bird sanctuary, a temple, a hospital cafeteria. Look around and let yourself absorb the atmosphere. In the great words of Pink Floyd, “All you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be.” So get out there and learn new things, ask loads of questions and, in your heart, be like the four-year-old who keeps wondering why the sky is blue and why leaves aren’t.

I cooked an Indian meal for Chef José Andrés recently, and the minute he stepped into my kitchen, his questions started: “How did you use the coconut in this bean dish? What is spice that I smell in this curry? What is the base for this curry?” Chef Carla Hall is super successful, cooking southern meals around the country and yet, she called me one day to ask about Indian cuisine and how she could incorporate Indian spices in what she does.

What are you curious about today?

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