If you’re a very curious person, you might be wildly happy attending classes, reading books, watching videos, attending events, etc. If you’re a very, very curious person, this could become an obsession.

I’ve actually felt that obsession—I have a lot of full bookshelves to prove it. Not saying I’ve read them all cover to cover. But each one caught my eye, tickled my curiosity gene. And thanks to Amazon, they were just too easy to buy. Now if I just had the time ...

I’ve backed away from the impulse buys, for the most part. I’ve limited my YouTube rabbit holes I allow for myself, and attending events has certainly been curtailed for a while. But one place I still love to dive into is TEDx. When I retire, I think I’ll schedule in TED Tuesdays every week, where I can indulge all day if I want.

A while back I came upon this video and being an avid card player, it intrigued me. I understand the math, but I never bothered to do it. What’s astonishing is the relevance to how long it would take to accomplish every combination achievable in how a deck of cards can be arranged.

Is it going to bring value to the rest of my life? Yet to be seen, but I’m optimistic I’ll leverage it at the next poker game, astounding my friends. What has already brought value is knowing that playing cards will never get mundane or predictable.

There’s something immensely gratifying in following a path of knowledge to end up with an education worth the journey. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but not this cat.

Tim Padgett
tim@peppergroup.com

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
—Dorothy Parker

“Curiosity is the key to creativity.”
—Akio Morita