Back to all posts
The kids and I were spending an evening catching & releasing crayfish in our local river.
Then my 6yr old cries… “What is that?!” and starts crying and running for the shore. Sensing his fear and getting caught up in the moment, the feeling of fear squeezed my own heart and I ran after him to shore.
Once we were safe and sound… my curiosity got the best of me. What did he actually see?
As the older kids trailed behind me, I went to investigate. Slowly… cautiously inching my way forward… I found it. Large blue claws, peeking out from underneath a large rock. I’d never seen anything like it. The crayfish we’d been catching were small and dark brown. I had to look this up.
Apparently, we found a gem! These large blue crayfish are rare, especially in New Jersey 🤩 What a special discovery.
"Curiosity and questions will get you further than confidence and answers."
This experience made me understand how contagious fear can be.
You don’t even need to know what you are afraid of (like me!) to feel afraid. As I think about it… the fear of the unknown is one of the most prevalent fears.
Now, we are naturally wired for fear – it’s a safety mechanism that keeps us out of danger. But it can also keep us from discovering amazing new things and expanding into new territory.
I don’t think fear is avoidable… but I do think we can strengthen our own bravery.
Because bravery doesn’t exist without the presence of fear.
How do you do that?
The super skill: Curiosity.
Curiosity is the thing that led me back into the water. To figure it out. To step back outside of my comfort zone.
Curiosity is the force that leads you forward.
Note that curiosity didn’t eliminate my fear… I still had it. But I could turn the dial up my curiosity to become stronger than fear.
And actually, I’m glad I still had fear. Because fear is what prompted me to move slowly. To mitigate risk. And in doing so… I didn’t scare the magnificent crawfish under the rock – where we would have missed it altogether.
But the secret to being brave?
Curiosity.
Stay curious, my friends.
“Curiosity and questions will get you further than confidence and answers.”
– Maxime Lagacé
Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender
