The day you stop asking questions is the day you stop growing.
That?s the truth behind John Maxwell?s Law of Curiosity: Growth is stimulated by asking why.
Curiosity isn?t childish?it?s essential. The best leaders, thinkers, and learners never outgrow their sense of wonder. They just learn to aim it better.
The Power of Why
Every breakthrough starts with a question. Why does this work? What if we tried this? How could we do it better?
Curiosity opens doors that complacency keeps closed. It turns problems into puzzles and obstacles into opportunities.
The danger comes when we think we already know enough. The moment you stop being curious, you start coasting?and coasting always leads downhill.
Great leaders don?t settle for ?good enough.? They keep asking questions until they understand not just what works, but why it works.
Never Stop Learning
There?s a line from 7 Life Lessons from the Trailer Park that still hits home for me: curiosity isn?t childish?it?s the fuel that keeps your mind and leadership alive.
Kids are born curious. Somewhere along the line, adults trade curiosity for comfort.
But curiosity is what keeps you alive inside. It keeps your leadership sharp and your perspective fresh.
When I stop asking questions, I stop paying attention. And when I stop paying attention, I stop learning.
Life doesn?t get easier when you?re curious?but it does get more meaningful.
My ?Why? Moment
There was a time early in my career when I stopped asking why. I got comfortable with what I knew?comfortable leading the way I always had, comfortable assuming I?d ?figured it out.?
Then something shifted. People around me started growing faster than I was. I wasn?t keeping up because I wasn?t stretching my mind anymore.
That?s when I realized curiosity isn?t a personality trait?it?s a discipline. You don?t have to feel curious to act curious. You just have to choose to keep asking questions.
When I got back to asking why, everything changed. Growth came back. So did creativity, connection, and perspective.
How to Reignite Curiosity
You don?t have to overhaul your life to get curious again?just start noticing things you?ve been walking past.
- Ask ?why?? more often. Don?t just accept what works?figure out why it works.
- Learn from unexpected sources. Wisdom doesn?t care where it comes from.
- Listen longer. Sometimes growth hides in the second half of a conversation.
- Read something that challenges you. If it makes you think?or argue?you?re growing.
Curiosity doesn?t demand genius. It just demands humility?the willingness to admit there?s more to learn.
Make It Count
Curiosity keeps your mind young and your growth alive.
When you stop asking why, you stop improving. When you stop improving, you stop leading.
So today, slow down and ask a few questions. Ask them about your work, your relationships, your habits, your purpose.
Because every ?why? leads you closer to a better ?how.?
? Next week: Law #13 ? The Law of Modeling: It?s Hard to Improve When You Have No One to Follow.