CBS Sunday Morning, my favorite tv show, always seems to give me something to think about and even write about. One of the segments yesterday was with Brian Grazer, a producer with many Academy Award winning films in his 25+ years in Hollywood. Some of his films include, A Beautiful Mind, American Gangster, 24, Splash, and Apollo 13. But what struck me profoundly was his new book that comes out on April 7th, "A Curious Mind".
The title says it all. Having a curious mind can reap many benefits. But our society tends to applaud our degrees, and our business acumen, or inventions. Not our curious minds, after all, we should figure out what we want to do with our lives, focus on one thing. Go to college and get a law degree, or become a teacher, or become a doctor, or a secretary.
Grazer was fascinating to listen to in the interview. Passionate, excited to talk about his grandmother, and explaining how he was undaunted sending notes to strangers. Though I am sure he was ignored more often than not. His grandmother was not concerned with his D's and F's he got on his report cards. She recognized his strength in asking questions, his curiosity about the world. He liked to get inside of subjects, and inside of people. She was the one person in his young life that encouraged his curious mind. This act of unconditional love and encouragement, gave him the confidence to pursue his dreams. It's tough to pursue something out of the ordinary.....but curiosity?....where does that fit it? I am not sure about his route from college to currently being a producer. But he did say there were years where he did not work at all in films.
"We all have curiosity, it's energizing, spiritually empowering, and it makes us more interesting as people." - Grazer. He has written notes to perfect strangers for 30 years, asking to have a curiosity conversation. Well known celebrities, scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs, and artists among others.
Why am I compelled to write about this? Those of you who have been following my blog, know it goes right along with what I love to do. Learn, grow, and change. The minute I heard him give a simple, concise definition of what a producer does, I was hooked. Then in talking about a curious mind, well he had my attention. Remember he was not always a famous producer, and I can only imagine what some people thought. Who is this?
I do know people like to talk about themselves. "How to Win Friends And Influence People", by Dale Carnegie, says let others talk and you do the listening, and they will think you are the best conversationalist. If you want to win some points with a spouses boss, or learn something about astronomy from your neighbor's guest, who happens to be a famous astronomer, ask him about himself. People like their name used correctly and they like to talk about their work.
A curious mind has lots of benefits. A sharper mind, perhaps a successful career doing what you love, and a happier, healthier you. A journey of curiosity sounds like a great idea! Well, my curiosity is peeked. I look forward to ordering his book next week and my readers can look for little nuggets that I learn from Brian Grazer. And guess who is going to be thinking about curiosity conversations in the future?
Good night and God Bless! Aleta
"Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect."
- Samuel Johnson, English writer
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