5 Ways to Increase Your Curiosity as an Adult

You heard about gymnastics and wanted to do somersaults all over the place. You heard about baseball and you wanted to immediately pick up a little bat and hit a home run. You were curious about what it would be like to try something new, and you were likely focused on how fun it would be to do it. Not thinking about failing or worrying about what other people would think.

You were curious, and then you went and did it. Right?

Chances are, you don’t look at trying new things through that lens anymore...but maybe we should.

Here's how our best take on how to increase curiosity:‍

Here are some ways to increase your curiosity as an adult, tap into it, and follow your desires.

1. What have you always wanted to do?‍

Think about some things you’ve always thought were really cool or interesting in your adult or even teen life – things you enjoy and admire but never tried yourself because you’re scared of failing or embarrassment or whatever else negative emotion. Write these down. Decide which ones you’re really curious about and would love to try out. Which ones would you do if you didn’t have fear?

‍2. Follow up with your curiosity‍

Instead of just thinking, “Wow, surfing is so cool. I wonder what it’s like to get up on a surfboard and ride a wave. Too bad I never tried earlier...” think “Wow, surfing is so cool. I’m going to do some research about it and see if I can find somewhere close by where I can take a private lesson so I can safely try it out.”

Don’t let hopes and dreams pass by you! If you want to do something, do it. But that requires taking action, not just daydreaming about it.

‍3. Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable‍

Trying new things can be awkward. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying new things that we’re curious about. How boring would life be if we never tried anything new? Recognize that trying or learning something new might not be comfortable or easy, but growth happens outside of our comfort zone.

‍4. Remember it’s okay to be a beginner‍

A common excuse is “I’m too old to try this” or “I’m too old to be a beginner at this!” Sure, plenty of little kids might have started a hobby a lot earlier in life than you did, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a beginner as an adult. In fact, I’d argue that it’s fun to be a beginner as an adult. How often do you get to learn something new for fun as a grown-up? It’s okay to be a beginner. It’s okay to not be a pro. As long as you’re being brave and going for it, that’s what matters.

‍5. You can do things simply for pleasure‍

Between hustle culture and social media, there’s a whole lot of pressure for us to either make money off of our hobbies or needing to be amazing at them so we can post about it and show off on social media. Crazy concept: you can do things for yourself, for pleasure, just because you think it’s fun. You don’t need to try to monetize it or show it off. If it makes you happy, do it! Again, you don’t have to be a pro. 

Life is a learning process. Make it a fun one.