Stay Curious

When my son was born, I had a mantra that I said to him every night before he went to sleep. It was stay curious. I think Steve Jobs said it once in a graduation speech. My hope was that he would grow up to be someone who questioned the world, who made predictions, and who solve problems driven by this intense curiosity.

Looking back on it, I realize now that this mantra was less for him than it was for me. I’m the one who needed to remain curious, in a very curious time in my life.

I think about it now as I play with him on the weekends. He’s curious naturally, I don’t need to remind him. But me? My mind can drift in all sorts of directions when I should be focusing on enjoying the precious time we have together.

These days when I tuck him in, I say the mantra, but I say it so that both of us can hear it.