When looking at the days ahead, none of us know for sure what’s going to happen. We can treat that uncertainly with curiosity or with worry.
In the book Four Thousand Weeks, the author Oliver Burkeman encourages us to choose curiosity, saying:
Not knowing what’s coming next—which is the situation you’re always in, with regard to the future—presents an ideal opportunity for choosing curiosity (wondering what might happen next) over worry (hoping that a certain specific thing will happen next, and fearing it might not) whenever you can.
I try very hard to keep my curiosity open in all situations, but I also tend to lean toward worry of the unknown. It’s a constant battle, but one I’ve never really thought about in this kind of direct comparison.
Being prepared for the future is important, but once you’ve done what you can to be ready then curiosity is almost always your best approach.
Leave a Reply