Chunguzi is a Swahili word meaning “curious.”
It came from a conversation I had about a decade or so ago with a friend of
mine. We were working together, doing training and coaching for companies and
many of our conversations were spent examining ourselves, our motives, beliefs
and lives. We decided we wanted a website and started tossing around ideas for
a name, a name that would capture the essence of who we were and how we
navigated life. Curious is a word that kept coming up and seemed to resonate
with both of us. We were curious about ourselves, the world around us, the
impact our words, thoughts and ideas had on ourselves and others. We realized
that indeed, everything stems from curiosity. We can’t change or grow without
asking questions. I have always been one to ask questions. I have always been
fascinated and perhaps sometimes even obsessed with questioning things. The
more the answers seem to elude me, the more I want to know.
That questioning has increased a lot
over the past few years. Suddenly the things I read in books, learned in
seminars and thought I had a grasp on were put to the test. I realized that I
didn't know what I thought I did. I didn't believe what I told people I did. What
I told myself I did. I had never really internalized the things I was learning,
but instead I would focus on how I would teach others the same principles or
methodologies. Then things happened in my life and everything was brought into
question. It wasn't easy. It is rarely easy to look inward with honesty, to
strip ourselves bare and take a look at ourselves under glaring light. In those
moments, I forgot a lot of what I knew, turned by back on things I believed. Giving
someone else advice is quite simple. Taking the advice, even when we know what
is best can be excruciating.
Now, I find myself on the other side of
that ocean, or at least on an island. Time alone will tell. I have been
blogging for years and lately, I have wanted it to be something more. I do like
writing funny stories, sharing my views on politics or current events and
certainly, it was writing that helped me get through the intensity of the past
few years. So I decided it was time to turn start something new and see where
it goes. I want to have a blog written by me, written by others, where ideas on
life, leadership, change and growth can be shared. A place where curiosity
about life and the world around us can be explored not in a way that criticizes,
but rather in a way that provokes learning and transformation.
I hope you like this new blog. I hope
it makes you question things, inspires you and starts a conversation. So comment, contribute and share. I am
curious where this blog will go, what it will become and who will be involved.
So, when it came time to come up with a name, the first and only one that came
to mind was “Chunguzi.”
