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For as long as I can remember, I’ve asked why. Not to be difficult. Not to challenge authority for the sake of it. But because I’ve always needed to understand, really understand, how things work, why we do things the way we do, and whether there might be a better way.

Maybe you were that kid too — the one always taking things apart, annoying adults with endless questions, needing to know how everything fit together. If so, you’ll understand the itch. The one that doesn’t let you move on until the pieces make sense in your head.

When I was little, that constant questioning drove my parents up the wall. “Because I said so” was never a satisfying answer, though it was often the only one they had energy to give. I wasn’t trying to be awkward — just curious. Endlessly curious.

I spent my pocket money on car boot sale treasures like cassette players, bell-wire telephones, and anything with screws that could be undone and parts that could be puzzled over. I’d dismantle them entirely, lay the pieces out across the floor, try to figure out the circuitry, the mechanisms, the logic behind their function. Then I’d try to put them back together — sometimes successfully, sometimes not, though that wasn’t really the point. The point was the learning. The point was the why.

That same mindset followed me into adulthood. I questioned how things were done on building sites with my father-in-law, something he wasn’t always thrilled about. I challenged the logic of everyday decisions, both big and small, which I’ll admit can be exhausting for the people around me. Thankfully, I married someone patient, who’s come to understand that my brain just doesn’t settle until it gets to the root of things.

Curiosity might have made me a bit of an oddball growing up. I never really felt like I had a clear label, a tidy box to fit into. I’ve dabbled in art, music, mechanics, writing, teaching, coding, speaking — you name it. I’ve often felt like a jack of all trades, master of none. And for a long time, I wasn’t sure if that was a strength or a flaw.

Then I found out the full quote. It’s not just “Jack of all trades, master of none”, but rather “Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.” And suddenly it made sense. That sentence held so much truth for people like me — people who explore broadly, connect dots across disciplines, and carry a toolbox instead of a single hammer. It doesn’t always land well in settings filled with specialists though, which can make it hard to express without sounding like you’re trying to prove something.

I’d watch others carve out neat little careers with a specialism they could define in a sentence, while I bounced between interests, collecting skills and exploring ideas that never seemed to connect — until they did.

The turning point came when Generative AI entered the scene.

Here was something that evolved as fast as I learned. A technology that rewarded exploration, demanded understanding, and invited constant re-evaluation. AI wasn’t one discipline, it was many. It needed the eyes of a designer, the hands of an engineer, the words of a communicator, and the instincts of a strategist. It was the first thing I’d found that felt like it kept pace with the way I think.

There’s a quote often attributed to Einstein that struck me like a lightning bolt the first time I saw it — “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” I don’t think I’ve ever related to anything more. It captures perfectly what I’ve always felt but could never quite articulate. I might not be the smartest in the room, but I’ll be the one asking questions until the room opens up.

Now, I help businesses rethink how they work. I question their systems, processes, assumptions, the same way I used to question old radios and telephones. I ask, “Why are you doing it this way?” and “What if you didn’t have to?” And more often than not, that curiosity leads to better outcomes — automated systems, streamlined workflows, and a renewed sense of control over the chaos of business.

What’s even better though, is that I get to keep learning from every single one of them. It’s one of the greatest privileges of my career — getting to step inside businesses from industries I’ve never worked in before, and ask why all over again. From logistics to legal, manufacturing to marketing, every sector has its own quirks, pressures, and unwritten rules. I get to learn how their world works, and in return, I bring a lifetime of cross-industry problem-solving experience to the table — connecting ideas from one domain to another, translating tools and strategies that worked elsewhere into something powerful and specific for them.

Over the years, that curiosity has taken me to some pretty unexpected places — from Dairy Farmers to Cyber Psychologists, Formula One teams, Global Banks, and even Nuclear Power Plants. Each time, I step in knowing I’m the outsider, but also knowing that being the outsider lets me see things differently. I bring the questions they’re often too close to ask, and the insights they might not have thought to apply. And in return, I get a new lens into how the world ticks.

In a way, it’s like having a front-row seat to the inner workings of the world. And it never gets old. Every client is a new chance to uncover hidden inefficiencies, challenge the status quo, and find smarter ways of doing things. I walk away from each experience a little wiser, and often a little more curious than before.

I’m lucky, too, to be surrounded by curious people — mechanics, engineers, programmers, tinkerers. Some of my closest friendships are built on mutual fascination with how the world works. On holiday in Vegas, for example, while most people were hitting the casinos, my wife, our two friends, and I were exploring how the diagonal elevators in the Luxor worked. That was our idea of fun and we were curious - not my wife, but she is awesome and fully supported it, just as she always has.

As I’ve got older, I’ve become even more curious about how I learn and approach the world. The way I absorb information and solve problems often looks a little different from others. Over time, I’ve come to see that difference not as a limitation, but as a unique strength — a superpower that shapes how I navigate complexity, connect ideas, and adapt quickly. Embracing this has unlocked more potential than I ever expected, and it’s a perspective that continually fuels my curiosity and creativity. It makes me wonder how many of history’s greatest minds thrived precisely because they thought differently, rather than despite it.

And I don’t think that sense of wonder will ever fade. Every day, AI offers fresh challenges and new things to explore — new models, tools, and possibilities that push me to ask why all over again. Why was this built this way? Why does this method work better than the last? And why hasn’t someone solved this problem already?

For a long time, not knowing where I fit made me feel uncomfortable — like I wasn’t “enough” of anything to truly be something. But now? Now I see that the very thing that made me feel lost is what gives me clarity. I’m not just one thing — I’m a curious mind in motion, and finally, I’ve found the one field that’s dynamic enough to keep up.

So if you’re like me — if you’ve never quite felt like you fit into a single role or identity — maybe the answer isn’t to settle. Maybe the answer is to keep asking why. That question isn’t annoying. It’s not a distraction. It’s a compass.

Curiosity is a superpower. It opens doors, builds bridges, challenges the status quo, and sparks transformation. It’s the beginning of every invention, every innovation, every insight.

So don’t sit back and accept things the way they are. Be curious. Ask why. Explore, learn, adapt, and evolve.

Because when you do, you might just discover where you were meant to be all along.