Curiosity matters more than ever in an epic retirement

Why is it that so many people allow their curiosity to wane in the second half of life? Here's five things you can do to turn it around and put wonder back in your days.

If you’re nearing your retirement years, or in the thick of them, you might have wondered why some people seem deeply curious about life and living it well, and others seem bolted to their routines, with no desire to break out. Well, one of the big ingredients I want to discuss with you, critical for an epic retirement, is ‘curiosity’. And if you feel like yours has waned more recently, let me be the cheer squad for getting back in and cultivating it more deliberately. It’s something only YOU can do.

Curiosity is defined as a strong desire or eagerness to explore, learn, and understand the world around us. It is an ‘intrinsic’ or internal motivation that drives you to seek knowledge, discover new experiences, and ask questions. Curiosity involves an open-minded and inquisitive approach to life, where people actively engage with their environment, constantly seeking information, and looking for ways to expand their understanding. It requires a sense of wonder, a willingness to explore the unknown, and a thirst for knowledge. Curiosity plays a crucial role in intellectual growth, personal development, and the acquisition of new skills and perspectives. It is a fundamental human trait that encourages exploration, creativity, and a deeper connection to the world. Sounds important doesn’t it! By fostering and nurturing curiosity, we embark on a journey of discovery that hopefully lasts our whole life, continuously expanding our horizons and enriching our lives.

Scientists agree, curious people tend to experience higher levels of life satisfaction and those who maintain their curiosity into retirement are associated with better cognitive functioning and longer lives. Embracing your curiosity not only plants you smack bang in a whole lot of interesting experiences, it also helps you stay mentally engaged, grow your sense of purpose and fulfilment, and fuels a zest for life. Even as we age, we continue to unlock a treasure trove of opportunities for self-discovery, personal growth and pursuit of passions - if we are curious. So why is it that so many people allow their curiosity to wane in the second half of life? 

And don’t give me any excuses. Curiosity is not a character trait limited to youth. It is a fundamental human trait that can flourish throughout our lives and will enhance our experiences. Plenty of scientific studies have shown the profound impact of curiosity on personal growth, especially during the retirement years. So if don’t feel on top of your curiosity what can you do to turn things around? It’s time to inject and appreciate some wonder in your life again. Break out! Try something new and don’t be surprised at how good it makes you feel. 

Find something to learn

In retirement you have the luxury and opportunity of time. And you can wisely invest this in learning some new skills, trying some new pursuits or hobbies.  Consider enrolling into a course, online or in person; joining a discussion group or becoming part of an interest group. Don’t fear failing, remember that every failure and every success is a lesson learned about what you enjoy, what you want to try more of and what you are naturally good at. 

Embrace novelty and get out of your comfort zone

Take more regular steps outside your comfort zone and your local area, by exploring new places, trying new cultural experiences, eating things you wouldn’t normally eat, and using your senses to experience things more, and more often. 

Foster a curious mindset

Make a deal with yourself to approach life a little more like a child would, and find your sense of wonder. Look for things to learn about as you move through your daily life, and look for ways to extend, expand, and explore. Read the signs on bushwalks, look for things to learn about in your hobbies, google things you want to understand better. Ask why. Embrace uncertainty, look for answers. Be open to different perspectives and look for ways to appreciate them. Enjoy the personal growth this brings. 

Embrace technology

Yes, really! The digital age offers a wealth of opportunity for learning and discovering new things. Leverage technology to try online courses, meet new people online, have in-camera meetings with people near and far away, exchange ideas, find leaders to follow, look for ways to collaborate with others. Interact! Social interactions can spark new interests and truly ignite your curiosity. 

Grow your social connections

Look around. Are you surrounded with diverse and intellectually stimulating people? If not, then it’s time to cultivate a few. Find a club, share ideas, engage in stimulating conversations, talk to people with similar interests. Disagree a little and explore topics that interest you. Social connections are critical to your health in the second half of life. 

Get started!

I’d like to leave you with four simple ways to get started today. 

• Get more mindful - Pay attention in the present moment, look for things that delight you, notice them. Nature is a great place to start. Smell some flowers, wonder at the bees and the frost. 

• Ground yourself - spend some time outdoors, walking or sitting in natural surrounds. It can be a feast for the senses. Take off your shoes, enjoy the grass, be curious. 

• Expand your reading - look for things to read that will delight and surprise you and expand your interests. Look for books that will teach you more about different subjects - historical novels, different perspectives, new ideas. Read the newspaper - look at the opinions, consider yours. 

• Expand your creative passions - like photography, painting, writing, or history. Try things you had forgotten about, or lost the skills in. Explore.

Whether you’re years before retirement or in the years after, you can work on your curiosity actively with some mindful effort. A good project for the week ahead perhaps. Don’t forget I love to hear from you by email on bec@epicretirement.net. And you can comment on the article on the website here:

While you’re there, give it a like, share it with a friend - the more epic retirees we have - the more fun we can have together.

Have a wonderful weekend. Make it epic!

Bec Wilson Xx

Keep reading - there’s more below!

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How to Have an Epic Retirement is now available for pre-order

Just in case you missed the big cover-reveal of my coming book this week. (It was an exciting day for this first-time author).

This is the ultimate guidebook for people approaching and in retirement. I’ve spent months researching, interviewing and writing the book, and more than ten years understanding the issues people need more help navigating, as the Founder and former CEO of Starts at 60. And I’m so excited to finally release it into the public domain. It will hit bookstores on the 26th July. But you can pre-order now to get a copy as soon as it is released.

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Testing the temperature on land lease communities

In the retirement sector it seems like everyone is talking about the land lease properties otherwise known as ‘lifestyle communities’. This type of community living where you purchase the house, and lease the land from the developer over a long term used to be relegated to caravan parks emerging quickly now as a mainstream offering with developers such as Stockland and Mirvac seeing it as sensible alignment with their land and community developments. And the real perk - if you’re eligible for the pension, you’ll be eligible for rent assistance on your land rental fees.

If you’re thinking about downsizing, I’m curious to understand whether you have even explored or understood land lease or lifestyle communities?

Some articles in the media on it this week:

Stockland plans up to 14 new Land Lease Communities in two years, Australian Financial Review

Queensland Government to reform residential parks, ABC News