Speaker 1: Curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity killed the cat? Personally, I disagree. I believe Curiosity saved the cat. Meet Nico. He's adorable, isn't he? Some wanderlust must have enticed him to crawl through a storm drain, up a hill, and onto the side of a busy road, where I spied him out of the corner of my eye a few weeks ago. I said to my boyfriend Ray, I just saw a kitten on the side of the road. Turn around. At first sight of us, he scurried down the gully, and we followed him. I was looking through leaves and up the hill, trying to find him, when Ray said to me, he's in here, in this storm drain. And sure enough, there was this tiny, scared kitten peering out at us. About an hour later, I returned, armed with kitty treats and a cat carrier, with the intention of luring him out and into safety. It was my curiosity and passion to save this kitten that drove my desire to attempt something that I'd never done before. Without Curiosity, we'd still be living in caves. And Al Gore would have never invented the internet. Curiosity is the flame that lights the passion for knowledge, which fuels and drives innovation. Through innovation, we develop solutions, systems, and mechanisms, which improve and transform our lives. Curiosity is at the root of innovation. It's what spurs us to expand and grow. In history, it has been the brave and the brilliant, and we've seen some brilliant tonight, have we not? The brave and the brilliant that have led innovation. People like Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Debbie Sterling, to name a few of the many who have helped to change the world. Their curiosity, passion, and determination inspired and motivated them through setbacks, failures, and criticism. What about the rest of us? What causes us to stifle our inherently curious nature? Simply fear, fear of failure, fear of ridicule, fear of success, and fear of change. Is our curiosity causing an attitude of complacency? What if we could reclaim our childlike wonder and openness to possibilities and lift one another up through curiosity? In order for us to create a culture of innovation that empowers all, we must create environments that encourage curiosity and failure. We have to stop looking at failure or mistakes as something wrong or something to be shameful. Because failure is the great clarifier. It teaches us what doesn't work, what does, and helps us to seek solutions from a different perspective. It's the first vital component to creating a culture of innovation through curiosity. So try this. Next time you make a mistake or fail, instead of criticizing yourself, say, hell yeah, woohoo, I failed again. Because failure is merely the perception of an experience. Let me say that again. Failure is merely the perception of an experience. Just as judgment is a perception that causes us to view people and ideas different from us as weird or wrong. Remaining open to those with differing views or different cultures, races, is the second vital component to creating a culture of innovation through curiosity. When we focus on our common goals and take the time to understand one another, we bridge the gap between generations and cultures, creating solutions we can only imagine. Twenty-eight years ago, a local minister started a breakfast for the homeless on Saturday mornings from his desire to solve the problem of hunger among the homeless. He called it Saturday Breakfast Club and self-funded it for the first year and a half. When he started, he didn't know the people he served, yet he got to know them and why they were struggling. Some were homeless, some were the working poor with families barely making it by. It didn't matter. He knew they were suffering and he felt compelled to help those in his community. Today, his legacy lives on. His volunteers continue to serve breakfast every Saturday morning to the homeless and disenfranchised, building community between people from varied backgrounds. That man was my father, Jim Bennett. Miss you, Dad. One of the most important lessons that I learned from my dad was that innovation begins within. This is the third vital component to creating a culture of innovation through curiosity. We must be willing to open our minds to new ideas, to do things in a different way, and to step through our fear to build a community through innovation. I challenge you to allow the curiosity in your heart and mind to propel you to new ways of thinking, to attempt things that you've never done before, to get to know those with a different perspective, and to share your ideas fearlessly so that innovation can thrive here in your community. So how did I finally rescue Nico? Well, after several failed attempts with the kitty treats, I got some advice from a friend and I went and bought a can of cat food. He would come out and eat a little bit, but as soon as I tried to get close, he darted back into that drain pipe. Darkness was falling, so I covered the carrier with leaves to insulate and hide it, and I put the open can of food in the back. The next morning, I came back determined and with fingers crossed, and I snuck up on the carrier. He was asleep inside. I quickly zipped it closed before the little bugger could get out. Poor kitty, he was terrified. Today, Nico is happy, playful, affectionate, and of course, curious. Curiosity saved the cat. Curiosity saved Nico. I wonder what breakthroughs, innovations, transformations could occur if you step out of the storm drain and embrace your curiosity. Thank you. Thank you.