A Curious Mind

Malcom Gladwell describes Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman's, A Curious Mind, The Secret to a Bigger Life as a -

"captivating account of how the simple act of asking questions can change your life."

We have reaped the benefits of Grazer's joy and endless fascination, which inspired some of my favorite movies; Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code and Splash. When you maintain an inner fire to know more, you are open to learning and experiencing new things. Healthy curiosity makes your brain healthy, keeps you interested and interesting.

This book has excerpts from Brian Grazer's 30-year plus habit of finding answers in conversations with remarkable people in all areas of life. Like Albert Einstein, Grazer says of himself;

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."

Grazer is also courageous, willing to reach out to people who don't know him or his work. His bold moves provided a glimpse into the minds of all types of thinkers.

He has a list of people he's interviewed at the back of the book.

Here's just one page of many as an example . . .

A Curious Mind contains experiences from conversations with these diverse people. You may find out that you want to conduct your own curiosity conversations.

Here's some tips from the expert.

Start close to home. Interview people from your life circle who intrigue you. Here's a recommended starter question:

"I've always been curious about your work. I'm wondering if you would be willing to spend twenty minutes talking to me about what the key turning points in your career have been".

If the person agrees, there are some pointers for the conversation.

Do research before the interview.

Be clear that you want to hear their story, not their advice for yourself.

Think in advance about what you'd most hope to get out of the conversation and prepare open-ended questions. examples are: "What has been your biggest surprise/challenge?" or "How did you end up living in that city?"

Don't be a slave to your prepared questions. Listen and be a good conversationalist.