This is not what I do, but perhaps it should be.

How many times have you heard others say or have yourself said, I cannot take advantage of these great opportunities because this is not what I do?

It is possible for people who have retired to limit themselves and close themselves off to opportunities because they have a fixed mindset or belief that they can only do certain things. This can be because of experiences, societal influences, or personal biases. However, it is important to remember that everyone, no matter what age, can learn and grow, and it is important to be open to new opportunities and experiences.

There are a few ways a person can open themselves up to new experiences:

Challenge limiting beliefs. Identify any limiting beliefs you may have about yourself and your abilities, and challenge them by seeking new experiences that may prove them wrong.

Be open-minded. Be open to trying new things and be willing to step out of your comfort zone.

Seek new opportunities. Actively look for new opportunities to learn and grow, whether it’s through a new hobby, volunteering, or taking on a new role at work.

Learn from failure. Failure is a part of life, and it’s important to learn from it and not be afraid of it. Failure can often lead to new opportunities and growth.

Network. Meet new people and build a diverse network of friends and colleagues who can expose you to new ideas and experiences.

Travel. Travelling can be one of the best ways to open yourself up to new experiences, as it exposes you to new cultures, languages, and ways of life.

Be curious. Cultivate a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world around you, and be open to new information, perspectives, and experiences.

Here are a few ways to cultivate a sense of curiosity:

Ask questions. Be curious about the world around you and ask questions about things you don’t understand. This can be about anything, from how something works to people’s experiences or thoughts on a subject.

Read and learn. Read books and articles on a variety of topics, and take online courses or attend workshops to learn about new subjects.

Experiment. Try new things and experiment with different activities, hobbies, or ways of doing things.

Reflect. Take time to reflect on your experiences and thoughts and consider new perspectives.

Listen. Listen to others and be open to their ideas and experiences. Be open-minded and try to understand where they are coming from.

Challenge assumptions: Challenge your assumptions and biases, and be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

Keep a curious attitude. Keep a positive attitude, and be open to new information, perspectives, and experiences.

Developing Curiosity to find your passion

If you consider yourself to be curious but you are in a routine of the same thing everyday and basically bored with life you are not really curious.  You may in fact be moving toward being boring.  You can develop curiosity to help you become a more exciting person and see the life you can have.  Once you become curious and you really want to know what your life will be like when you take your passions and make them happen you will be more likely to make them happen.

Keeping an open mind is the best thing you can do when you are developing your curiosity.  You have to be an open minded person.  If you are set in your ways most of the time this may be the most difficult task.  Work on seeing things from a different point of view.  Think about different versions of things and how they could end up. 

Another thing you need to do when you are developing your curiosity is to never take things for granted.  Many people accept things for how they are.  They never dig deeper and they lose they entire curiosity and excitement. 

Many things are a really big deal and although it may seem simple to you it is important.  Your child may want to do something that seems so ridiculous.  It is about the time spent and you should never take these things for granted because they may not be available to you later.  These also include wasting time in your life watching television when you could be working toward your passions.

Constantly ask questions.  As you are developing your curiosity, it is important to ask questions.  Who cares what people think about you?  You are working on you and you need to be curios.   This will allow you to get beneath the surface of things. Ask about how things work and why people are friends of each other. 

Find out as much as you can about everything.  Not only are you working your brain but you are learning new things and developing an understanding also.  You are learning about why people do the things they do.  Although you might do something one way people may choose to do it another.  This is the opening of your mind you need to do.

Never label something as boring. If you are asked to do something with someone else and you think it sounds drab you need to get up and tackle it as if it is a lot of fun.  Being bored is an internal state of mind. Things are only boring wehn you think they are boring.  Labeling an activity or chore as boring completely closes the doors to something that might be your passion.  In addition, you can think of ways to take that boring activity and make it fun.

Look at learning as something fun.  There are many things about your passion you might need to learn.  You might have put off your passion because it will require you to take a few courses.  It is very common for people to think they are too old to learn new things and they don’t follow a passion because of this.  You are never too old to learn new things.  The best thing you can do is continue your learning by reading as much as you can and learning new things. 

You should never put a passion off because of learning.  What you need to do is tackle the learning as a fun experience that is going to help you achieve a goal in the long run.  Being curious is learning.  You are in a lifelong class and learning new things every single day.  So if you have to take a class or read a book to learn something new, tackle it with a new attitude of excitement and fun.  You will learn much more than you would if you thought the learning was a burden.

Reading new things is another way to feed your curiosity and develop it.  You might like to focus on just one thing but you should be open to as many different topics and things as possible when it comes to reading.  This can help you build your curiosity even further.  If you do find you like to focus on just one thing then you might have found your passion.