Knowledge v’s Curiousity

If you had to choose between having knowledge and being curious, which one would you choose?

Knowledge is attractive. We like being around knowledgeable people. We tend to follow people we believe are knowledgeable. There’s a persona of certainty, of confidence.

But being curious is also sexy. Being open minded and willing to explore someone else’s perspective is an asset, particularly when we look at it from a perspective that we hadn’t considered.

I was a lecturer in Fitness many years ago and my ego loved being the ‘knowledgeable one’. The man with the answers. At the same time, I realised I had to stay up to date with new knowledge in order to remain relevant. Choosing Knowledge or Curiousity was not mutually exclusive. I had to do both.

There’s a temptation to lean into knowledge- absolute certainty- particularly when we’re feeling a little lost or out of our depth.

Curiousity comes from a far more confident and playful space. When we’re comfortable with who we are and what we know, we tend to be more open to learning about others.

Here’s a couple of extreme’s…

The person who knows everything is a pain in the arse. Even when they’re right, they ostracise themselves because no one likes a smart alec. 

Equally, the person who can never make a decision because they need more advice or suggestions is equally painful.

In Australia in particular we tend to admire someone with knowledge but who’s also open to new or better idea’s, or at a minimum, being open to the reality that other people have different ideas, beliefs and perspectives to us, and that’s okay.

The balance of Knowledge and Curiousity is an interesting one.

I believe there’s a healthy balance for all of us. To have a few absolute truths and be open minded to new and other perspectives. Even if it makes us a little uncomfortable. 

And many people tell us, we only grow when we’re prepared to get uncomfortable.