How curiosity — not certainty — is the real key to finding what you love.
By Lawrance Nai | LN Education | March 2026
Here's a question adults love to ask you: "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
And here's the honest truth: that question is kind of unfair.
You're being asked to know — with confidence — what you want to spend decades of your life doing, before you've had the chance to actually experience much of the world. That's a little like being asked to pick your favorite food before you've tasted more than a handful of dishes.
"You don't find your passion. You develop it — by getting curious about things first."
The young people who eventually discover work they love aren't the ones who had it figured out at 14. They're the ones who stayed curious. Who tried things. Who asked questions. Who followed a weird interest just to see where it led.
That's what this post is about.
Why Curiosity Beats Planning
Most adults will tell you to "follow your passion" — but research and real-world experience both push back on that advice. Passion isn't usually something you stumble upon. It's something that grows slowly, over time, through actual engagement with the world.
Psychologist Carol Dweck's work on growth mindset shows that people who stay curious — who approach life with a "what can I learn here?" attitude — consistently outperform and out-enjoy those who feel like their identity is locked in.
In other words: the curious person wins. Not because they're smarter. But because they keep discovering new things to care about.
Curiosity is the bridge between boredom and passion.
What does curiosity actually look like?
It looks like:
• Reading about something you heard mentioned in a movie, just because it sounded interesting.
• Signing up for a class or club you're not sure about — just to try it.
• Asking "why" when most people just accept the answer.
• Noticing what makes you lose track of time and following that thread.
• Letting yourself be bad at something new without quitting immediately.
None of these things require you to know where they'll lead. That's the whole point.
The "Interest Funnel" — How Curiosity Builds Identity
Think of it like a funnel. At the top, curiosity is wide open. You're noticing, exploring, and sampling. You're interested in history, and cooking, and why certain songs make you feel things, and how bridges stay up.
As you follow those interests — as you ask more questions and spend more time with them — some fade out naturally. Others stick. They pull at you. You want to know more. You start connecting them to other things you love.
Over time, the funnel narrows into something that's genuinely and uniquely yours.
That thing at the bottom of the funnel? That's not something someone gives you. It's something you discover — by being curious at the top.
A real-world example
Imagine a 16-year-old who gets curious about ancient Greek history. Just because a teacher mentioned the Spartans one day and it sounded cool.
He starts reading on his own. Then he gets interested in Greek philosophy — specifically, what made someone a good person. That leads him to Aristotle. Aristotle leads him to questions about character and virtue. That leads him to want to understand how to teach those things to other people.
Years later, he's an educator who teaches character development to young people — and he loves it deeply.
That thread started with one moment of curiosity. Not a plan. Not a passion. Just a spark.
How to Practice Being More Curious
Curiosity isn't just a personality trait — it's a habit. And like all habits, you can build it.
1. Ask one more question than you normally would.
When you learn something, don't just accept it. Ask: Why? How did this come to be? What would happen if it were different? Who decided this? One extra question often leads somewhere unexpectedly interesting.
2. Try something that has nothing to do with school.
Cooking. Drawing. Birdwatching. Coding. Learning a few phrases in another language. Picking up an old instrument. None of these need to become your "thing." But they all teach you something about yourself — including what you don't love.
3. Pay attention to what makes you forget your phone.
That's rare. That matters. When you're doing something and realize 30 minutes have passed without you checking anything — notice it. That feeling is data. Follow it.
4. Talk to people who love what they do.
Ask a coach how they got into coaching. Ask your doctor what made them interested in medicine. Ask the person at the bakery how they ended up there. You'll be surprised how many people followed a random thread of curiosity to exactly where they needed to be.
5. Read widely.
Not just assigned books. Read things that seem strange or unrelated. History, biography, science, poetry, philosophy. The more you read across subjects, the more you start seeing connections — and connections are where interesting ideas live.
A Word on the Pressure You Feel
If you're feeling pressure to have everything sorted out — to know your major, your career, your "life plan" — you're not alone. That pressure is real, and it comes from people who care about you.
But here's something worth holding onto:
Every interesting adult you admire got there through detours, experiments, and unexpected interests. Almost none of them followed a straight line.
The goal isn't to eliminate uncertainty. The goal is to stay curious inside of it — to keep exploring, keep asking, keep trying things — until the path starts to become clear.
And it will. Not because you planned hard enough. But because you stayed curious long enough.
Keep going.
You have more time than you think. More options than you can see from here. And more capacity to find something meaningful than anyone — including you — currently realizes.
Start with curiosity. The rest follows.
— Lawrance Nai
Educator | Coach | Navy Veteran | Founder, LN Education
lneducation.com | Epic Echoes Podcast | LN Classical Academy
0 comments