A friend with an allotment recently sent me three giant beetroots after I casually mentioned I liked them. Lovely gesture… until I realised I had no idea how to use them up before they went soft. They ended up chopped and frozen, and one day, in a flash of curiosity, I threw some into a chilli.
Surprisingly delicious, albeit a tad strange texture wise. Who knew?!
That little moment reminded me of one of my favourite curiosity practices: the power of improv’s “yes… and.” Instead of shutting something down (“that won’t work,” “that’s weird”), we give it space. We see what happens if we add something new. It doesn’t always land, but sometimes it creates something better than we’d planned.
Curiosity is a skill you can build, like a muscle. Here are three ways to strengthen it:
1. Play with “yes… and”
When an idea, suggestion, or opportunity comes your way, notice your first reaction. Do you want to say no? Shut it down? Try a gentle yes… and. You might surprise yourself. (And it works outside the kitchen too!)
2. Borrow a beginner’s mind
Mindfulness teaches us to see things as if for the first time. The classic raisin exercise from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a great example: slowing down enough to notice colour, texture, smell, taste — almost like we’ve never encountered it before. What happens when you bring that lens to your work, your conversations, or even the way you take your morning coffee?
3. Look from new perspectives
Curiosity grows when we shift lenses. This is something I’ve been writing about through September and October — developing self-awareness and awareness of others. When we notice not just how we see the world, but how others might, new possibilities open up.
Curiosity doesn’t need grand gestures. Sometimes it starts with beetroot in a chilli.
What’s one small “yes… and” you could try this week?
