Hey, welcome back to

your Daily Mindfulness.

In today's session, we're going to

talk about the power of curiosity.

So I recently wrote a book called

Stop Missing Your Life: How to be

Deeply Present In an Unpresent World.

And one of the reasons we often

miss our lives is out of fear.

So just think about when you've

been fearful of something - heights,

spiders, public speaking, or intimacy.

The tendency is to pull

back, not get closer.

And that's a good thing.

This is what fear was designed to do.

It's a biological and neurological

response to perceive danger.

If something is perceived as unsafe, fear

we'll make sure we don't get too close.

It causes us to run, get smaller,

get quiet, all of these wonderful

responses to protect us from harm.

But have you also noticed that

sometimes fear pulls us away

from our life in a negative way.

What if I apply and don't get the job?

What if people don't accept

me for who I really am?

What if I open my heart and get hurt?

This fear is a big reason we

miss the fullness of our lives.

It holds us back from living more

creatively, honestly, and openly.

So if fear shuts us down to

life, what can open us up to the

possibilities life has to offer?

Is it courage?

Trust?

Love?

These are all important aspects

of a life well lived, but I don't

think they're the opposite of fear.

The opposite of fear is curiosity.

Fear is the impulse to turn away.

Curiosity is the impulse to turn toward.

Fear is the desire to close

down and curiosity is the

desire to expand and explore.

Fear presupposes, danger and

curiosity, presupposes safety.

Imagine a life of turning away,

closing down and presupposing

danger at every turn.

You can probably see how that

would cause us to miss our life.

So if fear leads us to missing

our life, curiosity is our

bridge to being deeply present.

And what I think is most powerful about

curiosity is that it can soften fear

the same way love can soften hate.

As soon as we drop into curiosity,

it's as if a switch gets flipped in

our brain, turning on a perceived

safety with which we're able to lean

into experience a little more closely.

And once we do, it gives us

an entirely new way to relate

to and experience our life.

So in today's meditation, we'll explore

cultivating more of this curiosity.

But as you go throughout your day,

see what it's like to, to bring a

curious mentality into your life,

into moments that you're excited

about, but also moments that

might typically bring up fear.

You might ask, what is

this moment like right now?

What would it be like if

I leaned a little closer?

What would it be like if

I tried something new?

That curiosity is a, is a childlike

interest and it can be really powerful.

So I'll talk to you shortly.

Thanks for your time and take care.