Curiosity

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Lucy Shenouda, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Simplicity starts with curiosity

Can life really be simple? I believe so, I really do believe the more we focus on the essence of our life, the core meaningfulness of who we are here to be, the closer we get to the often illusive simplicity in life. It is not always easy, and it can be simple.

It can start with rewinding backwards to where it all started. Where what started you may ask? Well, almost anything such as a friendship, a relationship, a new job, buying a home, moving to a new home – anything that has a choice attached to it has some sort of beginning.

Many years ago, I was faced with a life-changing decision to make, a choice to move to my home country, Egypt. As it was for me, Cairo was a place I saw in pictures, through the eyes of family members and as a thirteen-year old visitor so many years back. I had not in my life at that stage, experienced living there. So, it was a far-and-away place that was a magical historical place to visit, a country people left for greener pastures and a foreign place to imagine living in day-to-day. At first, I saw this potential move as highly complicated and disturbing. The attitudes and beliefs I carried with me in contemplating this choice were fraught with complications and excuses. It took months, years before I instead took the path of curiosity.

Curiosity allowed me to explore the oftentimes hidden treasures waiting for me to see rather than just surface, shallow knowledge. By being curious from a place of wonder, fascination and at times awe, new discoveries of how I could see myself living in my homeland brought a rather simplistic and appreciative way of envisioning a life-changing move. I opened myself to new sites, sounds and tastes. I experienced a rather refreshing view of how life can be there. I visited Cairo and with my curious and open state-of-mind, a job opportunity presented itself. Shortly after, I recall visiting Na’ama Bay, a resort area in Sharm El Sheikh, walking the sands of the Red Sea and feeling my heart beating with the sound of the waves washing off the shore. Suddenly, my heart felt at home. I can be here, I want to be here, my heart said. I felt a new-found respect for who I am becoming. So clearly, I felt myself smile and with that small gesture, a clarity infused in me, I became the change I wanted to see. I was happy, actually joyful with the certainty of my decision. This is my life, walking the sands, the pebbles, the pavement of my home land. I say this now after fifteen years of living the most incredible part of my life. I made life-long friends, nurtured a happy and thriving family and infused my life with adventures in Asia, Africa and the Middle East – both personally and professionally. It started with curiosity and then it became simple.