So now we know that not only does curiosity not kill the cat, but in fact, it can make it more successful.  Especially if it is a passionate kitty, who can surf the internet and acquire vast amounts of information.

Ok, what the heck am I talking about?  I came across an article by the author and journalist Thomas Friedman that was motivating to me.  He posits that in our relatively new world of the internet, where vast information is so readily available,  personal interest more than IQ can determine success.  He believes that greater than our IQ, a combination of curiosity and passion drives us to explore subjects of interest and therefore become as knowledgeable as someone with exceptional intelligence.

This Curiosity Quotient is not a real formula and is not mathematical, but represents the idea of how a person driven by their interests can accomplish what we have thought of as only what certain gifted people can achieve.  The proposed formula is:

CQ + PQ > IQ

CQ is the “Curiosity Quotient” and PQ is a “Passion Quotient”.  These are both theoretical concepts that do not represent actual measurements, but traits that each person can possess in varying amounts.  His formula is his way to express the idea that in our new economy, people who are self motivated learners who have learned how to learn, may actually be most successful.  He states: “Give me the kid with a passion to learn and a curiosity to discover and I will take him or her over the less passionate kid with a huge IQ every day of the week.”  In other words, it is more important to be passionate and curious than merely smart.

Thinking of the internet as an unlimited university, open to anyone with a strong motivation to use it, is intriguing to me.  It goes along with the Growth Mindset I have written about in a previous blog post, that supports the idea that hard work rather than natural born talent is what determines success in the long run.  And to be honest, Passion and Curiosity sound a lot more fun than hard work!  Which in some ways, seems to be Mr. Friedman’s point – that if we are curious and enjoy learning, we will naturally work hard to take advantage of the vast amount of information available to us, which then leads to a mastery of what we are interested in.

So, not only does curiosity actually help the cat, but it just may help old dogs like me learn some new tricks!