Why following your curiosity is the secret to getting what you want
If you're tired of the hustle, there's another way out and one that's seemingly more powerful than you can imagine!
Curiosity chooses you (not the other way around)
Have you ever watched a child’s curiosity in action?
How they stumble upon rolling, crawling, then walking—not through instruction, but through pure exploration?
Children don’t know these skills will be useful later. They’re not planning ahead.
And yet, their body and mind organize themselves toward growth—sparked by the pull of curiosity.
As Steve Jobs once said,
You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.
What is at play here? How does the body and mind know what to do while the child consciously explores and does it!
In yoga, this is known as Sankalpa—the creative intelligence that moves through curiosity to fulfill your deeper desires, if you allow it.
We all have access to creative intelligence (if we allow it)
Creative intelligence—or Sankalpa—is truly fascinating.
As Deepak Chopra explains in his book Abundance, Sankalpa is a “subtle intention” that leads to action effortlessly.
A striking example he shares: when we intend to lift our arm or speak, we don’t consciously coordinate every muscle. Yet somehow, our lungs, vocal cords, tongue, facial expressions, and body language all work in perfect harmony to help us express what we want to say.
It’s the same intelligence that turns an apple into a human body when we eat it.
It all happens effortlessly.
We’re not aware of how it happens but it works. We get what we intend.
And what’s even more magical is that this intelligence doesn’t just apply to your body.
It applies to everything in your life.
Not just “in here,” but also “out there.”
There is no separation between “in here” and “out there”
Let’s go beyond just the body and mind.
Say you intend to publish a book, start a business, or find a loving partner. If you allow it, the universe begins to reorganize itself to make it happen that is…if you get out of the way.
That’s creative intelligence. That’s Sankalpa in motion.
But what does that really mean? And if it’s that simple, why isn’t everyone doing it?
It’s easy to be skeptical. Life rarely feels like an effortless flow. In fact, most of us have been conditioned to think this idea is nonsensical. I felt that way too.
And no wonder. It’s the exact opposite of what we’re taught growing up. You’ve probably heard these:
“Life is unfair”
“There’s no free lunch”
“No pain, no gain”
“The first to market wins”
“Go hard or go home”
With this mindset, we block Sankalpa in our daily lives. Let’s delve a bit deeper into the 3 reasons why we don’t experience creative intelligence.
#1 We grow up to defend the “ego”
The ego is the belief that you are separate from the universe.
In yoga, this separation is seen as an illusion.
As we grow from child to adult, we’re taught to defend this ego through the belief systems our society reinforces.
We’re told to get good grades, land a great job, fight for promotions, and do what it takes to win.
We’re conditioned to see life as a zero-sum game, where getting ahead means being aggressive, Type A, always pushing.
When you identify with the ego, you start to believe you alone have to make everything happen.
You disconnect from creative intelligence, and instead, rely only on your willpower, hustle, and limited mind to make this happen.
No wonder life is a struggle and how!
#2 We run on auto-pilot mode
95% of our daily actions happen on autopilot. Karma, in essence, is the software that runs your life without you even realizing it.
It’s a collection of your past reactions, experiences, and emotional imprints—looping silently in the background.
And more often than not, it’s what blocks you from changing your behavior and getting what you truly want.
For example, let’s say in a previous job, you were called out or criticized for underperforming. You may not think about it consciously, but that moment left a mark.
Now, in your current role, you might carry that imprint forward—feeling like an imposter, doubting your abilities, and hesitating to take bold actions. Not because you’re not capable…But because old karma is still writing your script. So you keep repeating this cycle and this belief continues on.
If karma has such a strong grip on you, do you really have free will? The answer may surprise you and if you’re curious, I cover this in detail in this post below.
#3 We miss the signs
We’re often not attentive to our curiosity.
With karma clouding our thoughts, emotions, and reactions, we end up missing the subtle signs the universe is constantly sending us.
We overlook our true inclinations, or override them altogether telling ourselves we’re prioritizing “real life.”
But what we call real life is usually just deadlines, obligations, and to-dos - what the ego believes must be done to achieve goals.
Meanwhile, the things that spark our curiosity get pushed to “free time,” which rarely, if ever, arrives.
Curiosity is the secret language of the universe
So how do you break free from the grip of karma?
How do you let creative intelligence work its quiet magic?
You follow your curiosity.
Not the kind that keeps you endlessly scrolling Instagram or TikTok!
But the one that shows up when your mind is silent not buried in thoughts. The one that’s likely been muted by years of noise, conditioning, and busyness.
This kind of curiosity is how your intuition speaks to you.
By the way, if you are curious about what science has to say about intuition and how it works - I highly recommend reading this next.
Curiosity is linked to your intuition and it’s what nudges you to call a friend out of the blue, or sparks the impulse to Google something seemingly random.
It can be easy to dismiss and in the busyness of our schedules, we often do dismiss it! At least I do.
The universe is sending us signals in response to the intentions we’ve already set. If we miss these signals, we block Sankalpa—that inner creative intelligence—from flowing freely.
But if we take pause and listen to our inclinations, life might just begin to move more effortlessly and miraculously.
What are your thoughts about Sankalpa? Have you ever experienced effortless flow?
Beautifully explained!! To the point!! I am waiting for my signal!! Hope I don’t miss it!! 💕