Did Curiosity really kill the cat?

I have another hypothesis…maybe curiosity didn’t kill the cat. Did someone actually find the body? Or is this just another story to scare us. Maybe curiosity led that cat to a way better place where she’s living an awesome life.

I think that there are people who benefit from us showing up small and playing small. I think there are people who benefit from us living a distracted lifestyle. When you are wasting your energy comparing, judging, pleasing others, and feeling guilty, you’re not creating the impact or making the progress you could be otherwise.

The fourth C in the Hero Lifestyle is Curiosity. The fifth is Creativity. I’m combining the last two elements together because they work synergistically, like yin and yang. One is how you approach a problem, the other how you find a solution.

Asking the right questions makes you better at making future choices that produce desired outcomes. Curiosity allows you to step back and witness your goal and your process and see where you went off course or what helped you stay on course.

Curiosity doesn’t put you down or make you feel bad. Curiosity is about learning, not about failing.

Through this lens you’ll get more effective and efficient with your time and energy and make more aligned choices. What’s left then once you clearly see the problem? The solution.

And that’s where Creativity comes into play.

Creativity isn’t about imitating everyone else’s solution. It’s about finding your own beautiful way.

I know most people believe that creativity is reserved for those in the arts: writers, artists, dancers. But we all have access to this trait. And we all use it every single day.

At its simplest, creativity is the ability to create. I know I’m not the only parent who’s found an out-of-the-box solution for my child’s problem (uncomfortable sock, broken toy, missing piece). Ever had to come up with something on the fly at work? Ever have a wardrobe malfunction and mended on the go? There are so many examples of everyday creativity.

Now, you get to intentionally apply that superpower to your problems! Creativity allows you to put aside comparison and judgement on what everyone else does and allows you to have fun and find what works for you. I’m guessing if you looked back on any great day where you felt resilient, you’ll find that this dynamic duo played a part.

Let me show you how this works in real time…

Problem: Quality time with my husband.

Solution: Use our kids’ volleyball class as an opportunity to hang out.

I know how important it is to make time for relationships, especially my marriage. But that doesn’t make it any easier to do! We have tried all sorts of things, but it’s been hard to stay consistent. Our schedules and our rhythms can make it difficult to find free, overlapping time.

This past Spring our kids randomly signed up for volleyball at our neighborhood park. My husband totally surprised when after dropping the kids off at their first class asked me what I’d like to do! He’d secretly taken the hour and a half off and we enjoyed a magical afternoon together. The magic was in the intentional time, not the activity itself.

We promised to block off that time once a week, when possible, to just hang out. We’ve walked, tried some local restaurants and even sat outside with the dog and enjoyed a glass of wine.

It’s not conventional. It’s not for everyone. But it worked for us! It wasn’t any huge investment of time or money, but it was a huge investment in our marriage. Change doesn’t need to be enormous to be life altering. Small steps – small, intentional steps – move the needle.

This week employ these two skills when something comes up. Bonus points if you use them to relook at something that’s working to see if it can get better!

Sometimes things don’t go as planned and there are emotions that bubble up. Please let yourself feel them. Allow yourself to feel sad, bummed, or grieve if you need to. Just know that’s the first step and not the last. Take a deep breath when you’re ready and Curiosity and Creativity will gently guide you back to what feels good.