The Hawaiian word for curious is niele and as a child, my family called me "niele" often. Not always lovingly. Sometimes my inquisitive, questioning nature bordered on outright nosiness. When I was seven years old, I even snooped and read my Aunty Georgia's journal. (That was a mistake: So sorry Aunty!)

But curiosity is a wonderful thing and has served me well. It has helped me to research and unearth wonderful information in my work. It has triggered many new ideas and creative ventures.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity."

Certainly, curiosity is a motivator that excites and opens up new adventures. "Mere curiosity," said philosopher Johann von Goethe, "adds wings to every step."

Being curious is being free to explore. Question. Take chances and be open to change. "The cure for boredom is curiosity." said writer Ellen Parr. "There is no cure for curiosity."

There is a special awareness in being curious that opens the door to creativity. "Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning," observed the wise educator William Arthur Ward. "The more curious we are, the more creative we become."

And added the remarkable Samuel Johnson, "Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect."

Let curiosity renew your creativity.