One of the great joys of life for me is having great conversations with people doing important work in the world. It’s what anchors everything I do and is certainly the driving force behind the amazing roster of thinkers that makeup the 33voices platform. Early in my professional career, I built an insane curiosity to learn about people – what made them tick, and especially why there was such a great discrepancy between the ones at the top and the ones who always seemed to be striving. Perhaps the most important lesson that I learned during the process was the importance of being a student – of learning from anyone – regardless of background or status. I simply appreciate people, and that’s why I spend a disproportionate amount of time asking questions than offering advice.
It’s this insane level of curiosity that repeatedly demonstrates the wisdom behind living with a beginner’s mind – because as Zen Master Shunryo Suzuki ‘In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.’ As founder of Lottolab, and neuroscientist at University College, London, Beau Lotto has been challenging us to rethink our perception of perception – why is it that we see what we see and what does that tell us about why we see it? And, like he always does, Beau leads with this important question – why is context everything?