“The cure for boredom is curiosity,” mused Dorothy Parker. “There is no cure for curiosity.” If you’d like to catch this virus, here are a few resources and idea starters (which only have value when investigated further).

° Get lost on purpose. I bet you know the shortest, fastest route to the places you go on a regular basis. Right?  That may be expedient, but it doesn’t generate much curiosity.

Give yourself an hour or two and head in a direction you’ve not gone before. Explore a new neighborhood in your hometown. Ride a city bus to the end of the line.

° Locate kindred spirits. If you’re exploring a new subject, chances are good that you’re not alone in your interest.

Visit the reference section of your library and check out Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations to see what organizations exist that share your interest.

Look for conferences and seminars that bring together others who can expand  your curiosity. Encounters with real humans can enhance your learning experience in ways that research alone can’t.

° Immerse, don’t dabble. Pick one or two projects that you’re willing to explore as fully as possible instead of dozens of little toe dippers. You could set an exploration up as a 90-Day Project, or make it an on-going, regular study.

° Revisit a lost love. Many of us have abandoned an activity that once brought us great joy.

If you used to be a voracious Scrabble player, for instance, get a game going and see if it’s still a fit for you. Sometimes we outgrow a passion, but sometimes we realize we’ve just neglected it.

° Be a klutz. Many of us learned early on that it wasn’t okay to make mistakes. That, of course, is the biggest mistake of all.

So pick an activity that you know you’ll do clumsily and do it anyway. Even better, do it in public, with witnesses. Don’t scold yourself afterwards.

° Uncover a new curiosity. Pay a visit to eHow and sample some of their videos on subjects from the sublime to the amusing.

You could learn how to Change Water in a Fish Tank, Travel the World Cheap, Make Custom iPhone Ringtones—or 150,000 other subjects.

You’re bound to find something you didn’t even know you wanted to know.

° Build a list of Firsts. On purpose, do something at least once a week that you’ve never done before.

Try a new food, get active in social media, visit a neighbor you’ve never met, rent a classic movie that was made before you were born.

Keep a list and amaze yourself with all the new activities and new people you encounter before the year is over.

° Listen to a deep thinker. Although they’ve been around since 1984, the wonderful TED Talks are just gaining popular attention.

In case you aren’t familiar with this wonderful program, pay them a visit and listen to Sir Ken Robinson or Benjamin Zucker or Elizabeth Gilbert or any one of the dozens of innovative speakers they’ve recorded and generously share with us.