Be LESS curious, make MORE money.

By ksm

The idea hit us like a bolt from the blue. On a cool Sunday morning, while we were discussing Sachinomics - the transformation of the batting genius from a run-making machine into a moneymaking machine, came the wrong 'un. It came from the kitchen, from the homemaker who was up to now, a silent, rather disinterested spectator, and simply bowled us over. 'Curiosity and money are inversely proportional', she said, with a touch of mystic, and left us deeply contemplating the import of her spin.

Curiosity and money are inversely proportional. You can say that again. It has a curious resonance to it, somewhat unorthodox, as rhythmic as the sound of the macaw, but compelling thought. The best part is, you can argue both ways. So much like, if I may so, Sachinomics.

Suppose you agree. You might have come across many examples that show why curiosity and money are a perfect mismatch. A know-all, a Jack of all trades, who has the answer for just about everything under the sun, but is a failure in life. Jack may know all, but rather than put all his knowledge to use, wants to know more, because he is forever curious. "This thing will work, but we can do better if we do that." "You think it will work? What if this thing happens?" Whatever the situation, Jack will find a way to do, or not do. If the going is good, it can be better, he will argue and do nothing. If the going is bad, it can be good, he will say, and do nothing. And if the going is even-stevens, he will want to know why, and do nothing. Life, for him, is a continuous succession of curiosities, moving on from one episode to another, even while doing nothing.

Now, suppose you don't agree. There are people who know when to stop being curious, and start raking in the moolah. If Narayana Murthy had stopped to wonder, if he should follow the advice of his friends and sell off Infosys, he would not have been what he is today. If Dhirubhai Ambani had incessantly worried about why it is a pipedream for a middle class Indian to become a millionaire in socialist India, he would not have produced a million millionaires.

What does this mean? It means that while we are all wired in the same way, our heart responds to a different --. Curiosity is a function of the mind, while the desire to make money, is a function of the heart. The curiosity/money dichotomy reflects the eternal disconnect between the mind versus the heart. When the mind rules over the heart, when curiosity overrules money decisions, the balance sheet suffers. It is like falling in love with stratagems and considering them as an end in itself. We forget then that all strategies are a means to an end (happiness/success/more profits/wealth creation).