181: What If Curiosity Matters More Than Certainty?

Overview

Pauses can be powerful. 

There’s a Japanese concept called ma that translates literally as gap, space, or pause. It’s the meaningful negative space in art and in life. Well-placed, it’s the held breath, the intentional space, the moment of tension that makes what comes next inevitable and impossible to ignore. When it doesn’t land, it interrupts the rhythm of a performance, an artwork, or even a conversation. 

During my break from recording this show, I’ve been thinking a lot about the value and power of strategic pauses. I’ve been exploring, researching, and following my curiosities without directing them to an end point. All the while, I’ve also needed to shift into execution mode and get certain things done. 

As I return to the podcast, I want to share what I’ve found about dancing between states of exploration and execution, frameworks that have helped me create context and shape for how I’m using my time, and the ideas and themes I’ll be exploring in upcoming episodes.

Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.

181: What If Curiosity Matters More Than Certainty?

The Sustainable Ambition Podcast with Kathy Oneto

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• The tension between what exploration and execution ask of us and our focus

• Why sustained curiosity is just as valuable as clarity and conviction

• Learning to discern when to continue exploring and when to move to execution

• How jumping to take action can be a mask for the discomfort of not being “productive”

• The topics and themes I’m excited to continue exploring on the podcast

Resources Mentioned

• David Whyte

• The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin

• Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming, Agnes Callard

• How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy, ed. Massimo Pigliucci, Skye Cleary, and Daniel Kaufman

• 172: Ambition In-Between: How to Deal With Unexpected Outcomes   

• 174: How to Deal With Mixed Emotions (Ambition In-Between Series)   

• 175: How to Move Forward: Lessons from Creativity (Ambition In-Between Series)   

• 179: Navigating Transitions and Inflection Points with Philip VanDusen (Ambition In-Between Series)

• 180: Why Creating Space Is So Hard — Even When You Know You Need It (Ambition In-Between Series)   

• 171: Natalie Nixon on Rethinking Productivity and Redesigning Work

Thanks for Listening!

• Send me ideas for what you’d like to hear on the podcast, or a question that might be read and answered here on the show! Email me at podcast@SustainableAmbition.com

• Get my curated bi-weekly Sustainable Ambition Forum newsletter. Sign up here