I’ve shared my thought that maybe Curiosity can replace Purpose.

Over the past 6+ months with that thought, I’ve realized that for me, yes, curiosity is more my internal driver than finding or having some kind of purpose.  Maybe that is true because I’m introverted and feel my satisfaction and energy come from within, far more than any external factors.  Maybe I just don’t know good examples of internal purpose.

I think the definition of purpose feels complicated to me.

Purpose “The reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc. 2. an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal. 3. determination; resoluteness”  

Action Required

I feel that curiosity is pretty pointless without a bias for action.  If I don’t put in the effort to take action then I won’t be filling my curiosity with data or activities.  If I don’t take action, then it’s just “hmmm, I wonder?”  vs.  “I wonder how I can fix my new guitar’s volume knob for turning down when I bash out?”  Turn out that other people have the same issue and put an O-ring below the knob and what bothered me is now solved.  Simple, but my curiosity took action.

Thinking up the chain, did the volume knob fix help me enjoy playing my guitar more?  Yes.  Does playing my guitar fulfill a purpose for me?  No, not a purpose.   But it is a passion and an interest, a curiosity on how to plan some song riffs and how to pattern a scale to sound cool.  Curiosity is a wonderful circle in many cases.  There is nothing external about this example.

I now wonder; is the process Curiosity, Purpose, Action?

Ageless

One of my favorite things about curiosity is that it’s timeless and ageless.  We can all stay curious through End of Plan.  We can all work on some level of bias for action until End of Plan.  It’s possible purpose–if externally satisfied–gets hard to accomplish as we age or near End of Plan.

Just Do It

Most everything in one’s life is going to be better with some bias for action.  Get stuff done.

…and it’s not always the retiree statements of “I did three things today.”  Though that is real and can be good.

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.