In other words, people were not as curious about themselves as we were about them.

As I saw the people we researched come to this conclusion, I saw how spending a day, or sometimes even just a few hours of curiosity around themselves affected them positively. I began to see how taking time to ask questions, think about the past, present, and future got each individuals’ own wheels turning.  Sometimes people even asked us to stay longer, because they wanted more.

Not As Different As They Appear.

Spoiler Alert!  My methods and what I’m interested in has not changed. I have always been fascinated with story, context, depth, nuance, and learning about something or someone so I can help.  Also, my efforts to help, have and always will be rooted in the learnings collected.  

What is a true story and works for one, may not be a true story and work for another. 

This was true in the brand and consumer research work and it’s also true in wellness. 

This message certainly rings true when you compare my relationship to food with my husband Pete’s. While we hold the same values and desires, our food journeys could not have been more different (read now just how different our paths were)!  All this to say that my desire to get people thinking and researching themselves more is ONE of the reasons I started to question a direction change for myself.  I desire to help people get curious about themselves because I truly believe the findings can lead them to great innovation within their own life.  This desire was and still is so strong that it was one of those, “YES!  I want that!” moments.  One where I didn’t have to make a list, get 101 different opinions, and weigh the pros and cons in order to make a decision. We all know those moments – the ones when there’s no pondering needed.   

I just knew I wanted to make people getting curious about themselves a bigger part of my work. 

So, there you have it. That is one of the big reasons I’m here today – to get people researching and curious about themselves a bit more.  And like I said, if you’re really interested in the nitty-gritty details of that direction change and how it all went down, you can read my full story right now.  Let’s just say that getting here was not a smooth-as-can-be ride.  

But Before We Go, That One Thing I Promised.

There’s one thing I want to encourage everyone to do at the end of our imperfectly perfect blog post time together. I’m taking a page from my market research days and calling it “Self-Search.” It calls for your active participation.

Part of researching ourselves more is about getting quiet (and still) enough to hear ourselves and asking enough questions. Questions fuel curiosity.  

When we are curious about ourselves, we can be better attuned to our needs.  And when we are curious together, we can better understand, learn from each other, and build community. 

So, let’s begin!

SELF-SEARCH.  

To begin, take a deep breath in and let it out.

Take each question in, then think about it and what it means for you. There are no wrong answers, but your answers.  Lean into those.

• Have you experienced, or are you now experiencing, a direction change of any kind in your own life?  
  • If yes:
    • What was it that got you thinking about a new direction?  
    • How did you feel leaning into it?
    • How did the direction change, whatever area of life it was in, affect you? Your life as a whole?
    • What did you realize afterward that you didn’t know before?
  • If no:
    • Why do you think that is?  
    • How does it make you feel?
    • Are there any areas of your life that you think a direction change could make a positive impact? 
    • What, if anything, might be stopping you from considering it?

If you feel comfortable sharing some of the thoughts that these sparked for you I would seriously love to hear about them – so write them below in the comments.  Or if have questions, or any other thoughts please share. We can learn so much from one another all while we do some learning of our own.  

Thanks for being here and holding space for you and me.