Cleaning the dust from your camera lens.

I think everyone, human and critter alike, is born hardwired to explore, to grow, to evolve - to discover new parts of ourselves and to investigate those parts of our world that we have not seen before. Exploring  doesn't have to mean discovering new lands or conquering outer space. Sometimes the greatest discoveries are found by exploring our own inner space. Psychologists say that curiosity, along with gratitude, optimism. zest, and the ability to love and be loved are the five character strengths that contribute most to our sense of life-satisfaction.
Instead of seeing things with fresh eyes, we tend to look at our lives through a veil of memories and assumptions as we become familiar with the world around us. We judge the here-and-now, based in large part by what has happened to us in the past. I have heard curiosity called the "engine of growth" and I believe it! We must be curious about all the what-could-be's if we are ever to move forward in our own personal and spiritual evolution.
Have you ever taken a visiting out-of-town friend on a sightseeing tour of city? As you start showing your friend the sights, you actually begin to see them as though they're new to you as well, even if you drive by them every single day. That is seeing with fresh, or new, eyes. But we don't ever use thos "tourist eyes" to examine our own inner landscapes; those believes we hold about ourselves and the world around us. If we want to drop old habits and beliefs that that no longer serve us, or if we want inner growth to happen, all we need do to change our perspective. That means taking a closer look at those aspects of ourselves that we take for granted. See them as if you're giving yourself the guided tour of, well, yourself and your "attractions"; become both the guide and the tourist.  After giving yourself the "tour", I bet you'll find that there are probably lots of "internal sights" that are littering up the beautiful landscape that is you. It's easier to make those changes if your have curiosity. Curiosity allows to see other possibilities without the fear that change usually brings.
Here are a few benefits of curiosity. Use your curiosity to see the world around you, and the world within you, with fresh clear eyes and and a whole new perspective.

• It’s fun!   The new experiences that curiosity brings us are a source of stimulation and pleasure.
• By letting us see even familiar things with fresh eyes, it lets us find new meanings in the familiar.
• Curiosity roots us in the present.  It lets us be more open, engaged, and to exercise our creativity by making new connections between things.
• Curiosity fuels creativity and innovation.
• Contributes to neurological health and may even reverse natural degeneration in older adults.  “In short, a regular dose of the unexpected helps keep your brain healthy.”
• It make you smarter.
• Curiosity about others keeps relationship open, interesting, more vital.  And it makes forming new relationships easier.
• Curiosity increases your happiness level.   “The more curiosity you can muster for something, the more likely you are to notice and learn about it, and thus the more interesting and meaningful it will become for you over time.

And just in case your sense of curiosity needs a little reviving, remember the key to curiosity is to seek out new things. Add more novelty to your day; change up your routine. Make a game of trying to discover 10 new things every day.  Accept the scariness of doing something new and taking risks. If need by, go in baby steps.  Instead of labeling things as scary, try thinking of them as exciting, instead. Think of yourself as an explorer, a detective, an adventurer. And look for the details that other people miss. Curiosity is, after all, questioning.  By training your brain to ask more questions, you will train it to be more curious. Given a new perspective, you may find yourself looking at your life and the world around you, as a truly magnificent work of art.
So go ahead and clean the dust off your camera lens. There's a big wonderful world out there, and an equally beautiful one inside, all waiting for you to come and discover them.