The habit? CURIOSITY

Curiosity makes you ask ‘why?’

Curiosity makes you pay attention.

Curiosity makes you look closer to see how it works.

When you ask ‘why’ and look closer and pay attention, you learn a little bit. Usually the little bits are random. Learn enough little bits, though, and curiosity makes you start to look for patterns and connections. You can’t help it if you have the curiosity habit. That’s when the fun starts.

Recently I sat on the beach at sunrise and watched joggers and dog walkers and bike riders and shell hunters and picture takers and wondered:

Why are people so attracted to the ocean and the shoreline? They get up early and journey down to the beach like a pilgrimage. I’m doing it too! Why?

You’d think this is where I tell you some big revelation. Nope. I didn’t get past seeing it as some kind of human instinct. Just another dot. For now.

But maybe later this dot will connect with some other random dots and turn into some kind of revelation.

Some may think that’s dumb and not worth thinking about. To me it’s normal. I’m exercising my curiosity muscle. Just out of habit, without trying. Can’t help it.

You may not be naturally curious. That’s fine, you’ll still learn to connect the dots. But if you can be even slightly more curious a few times a day I think you have a better chance of making more sense of your life and world.

Here, try it – take ONE MINUTE to think and answer this:

Why have you never met another person exactly like you?

Is that person just like you out there but you just haven’t seen them yet? Or are you the only one like yourself?

If you ARE the only one like yourself, what might that mean?

If you can make yourself curious about this, you might begin to connect some dots between yourself, God, and your purpose on earth. That’s no small thing. And from just a little curiosity.

Make it a habit and your life will begin to make more and more sense.

What are you curious about right now?

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This is Day 5 of 31 Days of Connecting the Dots: make more sense of your life, your world, your hopes and dreams. Subscribe on the right or below and each day will be delivered every morning to your inbox. Visit the Nester to choose from over 1,100 more 31 Dayers.