VIDEO + WORKBOOK
Rick recorded this message in the car after sharing the Tony Robbins and Robert Smith AI clip. Work the guide while you watch (or right after).
- 01Why Rick Followed Up On Patreon
- 02Robert Smith On Curiosity
- 03Nature vs Nurture
- 04Rick's Insatiable Curiosity
- 05The Empty Seat Story (AI Saved The Team)
- 06Lifelong Learning Without A PhD
- 07Learning While You Live
- 08The Joy Of Discovery
- 09Curiosity Is Paramount
- 10From Learning To Deployment
- 11Pivot Or Get Left Behind
- 12Curiosity And Learning Diagnostic
- 13Your Curiosity Checklist
- 14Declaration Of Learning Faith
- 15Watch The Video + Related Guides
WHY RICK FOLLOWED UP ON PATREON
Good morning. Rick recorded this on the way to a church meeting while his car drove him. He shared a Tony Robbins clip the night before and wanted to go deeper on one line that leaped in his spirit.
Last night I shared about a ten-minute excerpt from an hour-and-a-half conversation between Tony Robbins and Robert Smith (founder of Vista Equity Partners). I also shared notes I hoped would bless you.
Not everybody is going to be as excited about AI and the future as I am. That is okay. But one thing Robert said is worth its own conversation: the power of curiosity.
This guide unpacks what that means for your business, your nonprofit, your career, and your walk with God in THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY.
ROBERT SMITH ON CURIOSITY
Robert runs 89 software companies pivoting toward agentic AI. Tony gets paid enormous fees to coach billionaires and world leaders. This is operator-level insight, not theory.
Tony asked Robert what keeps him evolving in software, venture capital, and private equity. Robert's answer was simple: curiosity.
- The field keeps evolving. If you want continued success, you must learn to evolve, innovate, and pivot.
- Curiosity about what's next is not a personality quirk. It is a leadership discipline.
- Robert is living the shift. He is not commenting from the sidelines. He is converting portfolio companies to agentic workflows now.
Pair this lesson with the full curated guide: What Is About To Happen With AI →
NATURE VS NURTURE
Tony and Robert debated whether curiosity is something you are born with or something you can train. Rick lands on both.
- Nature: some people are born more curious than others.
- Nurture: leaders, parents, and mentors can develop an appetite for learning in the people they influence.
- Rick's posture: do not use "I was not born that way" as an exit ramp. You can focus on curiosity and develop hunger for it.
RICK'S INSATIABLE CURIOSITY
Rick is in technology professionally and in ministry full time. Both fields reward the leader who never stops learning.
I have been on AI for a while. I keep learning how to use it, apply it, leverage it in business and ministry, and empower other people to become more productive.
- Bible and characters. I never stop studying Scripture and the people God used.
- Grace. I am endlessly curious about how grace actually works in real life.
- Technology. The tools change weekly. Curiosity is how I stay current without panic.
THE EMPTY SEAT STORY (AI SAVED THE TEAM)
Curiosity is not abstract for Rick. It showed up when a seat on his team was empty for weeks.
One of our teams was down a person. We could not fill the role for about a month. The new hire starts July 6. In theory everyone had more work to cover. They told me they were not pulling their hair out.
- I could not deploy AI platforms if I were not deeply interested in learning them first.
- When the new person starts, we will teach them the same way. The whole team gets more efficient.
- Curiosity became coverage. What I learned alone became capacity for the whole team.
That is curiosity with shoes on. See also: From User To Builder →
LIFELONG LEARNING WITHOUT A PhD
Isabella is finishing her doctoral program. Rick never wanted a PhD. That did not stop his education.
I never wanted to be Dr. Pina. Not that I could not do it. I just did not want to. But I have never stopped learning. Never.
Formal credentials and informal hunger can coexist on the same team, the same marriage, the same ministry. The question is not "Do you have a degree?" The question is "Are you still growing?"
LEARNING WHILE YOU LIVE
Rick learns in the margins. His wife says he might have ADHD. He calls it functional curiosity.
Sometimes Isabella and I are watching TV. I have my laptop open. There is so much happening in AI that I keep experimenting while we watch the show.
- Every few minutes I tell AI to try something new.
- Five to twenty minutes later I look down and say, "Oh snap, look at what this thing created."
- These are not tiny ideas. Real workflows, real assets, real leverage.
You do not need a semester off to learn. You need hunger in the cracks of your day.
THE JOY OF DISCOVERY
Curiosity is not punishment. Rick genuinely enjoys learning.
If learning feels like a tax, you will quit when pressure rises. If learning feels like discovery, you will lean in when the market shifts.
CURIOSITY IS PARAMOUNT
Whether you run a business, lead a nonprofit, or grow your career, Rick says curiosity is non-negotiable.
- Entrepreneurs must stay curious about customers, tools, and market shifts.
- Nonprofit leaders must stay curious about people, stewardship, and impact.
- Employees must stay curious about how to add more value this year than last year.
I think you have to be curious. I think you have to have a desire to never stop learning. Full stop.
FROM LEARNING TO DEPLOYMENT
Curiosity without deployment is entertainment. Rick cares about functional understanding.
- The more you learn, the more functional your understanding becomes.
- Then you can institute what you learned in your personal life, your team, your business, your nonprofit.
- Then your organization is positioned to evolve, develop, and pivot.
PIVOT OR GET LEFT BEHIND
Especially in AI, leaders who refuse to pivot will be left behind. Rick said it plain.
I cannot tell you how important it is to be open to pivoting. If you do not know how to pivot, you are going to be left behind, especially in the world of AI.
- Curiosity lowers pivot cost. You see the shift early because you were looking.
- Learning lowers pivot fear. You have practiced adopting new tools before the crisis hits.
- Grace lowers pivot shame. You are discovering destiny, not failing because you were late.
Related: How To Build An AI-Native Company →
CURIOSITY AND LEARNING DIAGNOSTIC
Answer honestly. Your responses save in your browser.
YOUR CURIOSITY CHECKLIST
- I watched Rick's message Open video →
- I watched or reviewed the Tony Robbins and Robert Smith clip. Open agentic shift guide →
- I can explain why Robert Smith named curiosity as his edge.
- I named one area where I will develop curiosity, not wait to be born with it.
- I identified one workflow where AI or new learning could cover capacity gaps on my team.
- I committed to lifelong learning without needing another degree to prove it.
- I scheduled learning in the margins of my week, not only in "free time."
- I ran the curiosity diagnostic honestly.
- I named one pivot I am open to in the next 90 days.
- I declared faith-filled learning over my business, ministry, and career.