I’ve had a passport since I was a toddler.
I was lucky that before I could make the choice to travel that I was able to travel. A luxury and a gift that was given to me before I even knew what to do with it. As I grew older, I traveled here and there, but not to the point where I relished in it as one should.
It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I noticed that I hadn’t truly traveled anywhere. Almost like I was succumbing to staying put and to the daily routine that I learned to know. It was safe to say that I was somewhat apprehensive about traveling, whether that meant picking the location or going on my own. But there was a piece of me that wondered about it. Where did I want to go, what would I like to do, and could I do it on my own. And that’s when the curiosity began.
Curiosity has a way of leading you to answers for the questions you have. It nudges you in a direction of growth and leans you a little closer to the outcome that you need. At least, that’s what it did for me. When it came to those questions I had, I started small.
I took a different route home to get familiar with new surroundings. I said yes to going places alone: restaurants, movies, and outdoor activities. I put myself out and around people during times I wanted to stay in. Those small acts of curiosity didn’t feel life-changing at the time, but they were. The moments where I was trying something different and seeing something unfamiliar, helped me grow my confidence and independence. I wasn’t only seeing new things around me, I was seeing new things within myself.
The more I explored locally, the more comfortable I became with the unknown. I learned how to figure things out, trust myself in new situations, sit in the discomfort of changed plans, and realize I’d be okay anyway.
That’s when something shifted in my mind.
Local exploration turned into wanting to go farther. Bigger ideas turned into actual plans and eventually, those plans turned into leaving home for places I found interesting like Death Valley or Ballarat. Just as wonderful, it turned into solo trips to Stockholm, Zihuatanejo, and Zurich.
A version of me from a few years ago wouldn’t have imagined being in these places. Going to cities and towns I found interesting or traveling alone to multiple countries felt too bold and too uncertain. But by then, curiosity had already been leading the way and I happily followed.
The confidence had grown slowly and within me was a person who felt excited.
Because confidence for me wasn’t something I could magically wake up with. It was something that had to be developed over time and through practice. It was built in small, almost unnoticeable moments of trying something new, getting a little lost, figuring it out, and realizing that I am in fact capable.
When I followed my curiosity, I started to make decisions for myself. I no longer waited for the right time or the perfectly thought out plan. I decided to research a bit, trust my instincts, and go wherever felt meaningful. I chose to go to the places I would regret if I missed the opportunity when it was in front of me. As a result, I became a person who now actively explores places and possibilities.
And I hope the same for you wherever you may be in your curiosity journey.
The small moments we have in life may seem insignificant, but they are often the foundation for the big things to come. They are the foundation or the jumping blocks that can catapult us to our next big moves.
And that’s what curiosity is at its core. Small and big, curiosity can expand your world in ways you don’t always notice at first. Until one day, you realize your life looks different, bigger, bolder, braver and more of your own. And how amazing is that? That deciding where you want to go, what you would like to do, and could do it on your own are the simple questions that if you let your curiosity answer, it can lead you to exploring bigger and living happily.
While it might be easier said than done, imagine how life could be for you if you did the same. I hope you choose to do the same.
