I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.
Eleanor Roosevelt
1884 – 1962

A few months ago, I received an email from a student in India; she had her undergraduate degree and was applying for admission to graduate school to pursue an advanced business degree. A significant part of the admission process was an interview with a faculty committee, and she hadn’t done well in the interview.

Her strategy was to impress the committee with her knowledge of business, so she wanted ideas to better impress them in the next admissions period. In short, she was seeking any books she should read or crash courses she could take which would help her dazzle the faculty committee. This approach — trying to impress others with our knowledge, position or importance — is something I regularly see. I’m not sure why it’s so widely used, since the results generally aren’t very good.

I wrote the young lady back and explained that it was probably not advisable to try to sway a group of professors with her existing knowledge of business; rather, what might serve her better was to approach the interview with a sense of curiosity. University professors are drawn to students who are eager to be taught, so showing her desire to learn would create a more favorable impression.

How does this apply to you and your life? I would suggest you examine your approach when trying to impress others. Do you generally feel the need to demonstrate how much you know? Are you often in situations where you try to prove yourself and show off your qualifications or accomplishments? These are common behaviors, and ones you might adopt without being aware of it.

The more we focus on how much we already know, the less open we are to learning more. Studies have consistently shown that people with a growth mindset — those open to new ideas, approaching life with a childlike curiosity — will fare much better in life.

Take a moment to consider your approach to life. Do you hold a lot of fixed beliefs or are you more curious about things? The more curious we are, the more open we are — and the more favorably we impress others.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
Albert Einstein
1879 – 1955

Copyright © 2012 John Chancellor