Intelligence is to me what muscle is to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It’s my lifelong ardour to develop my brainpower and assume in methods different individuals can not; resolve issues that nobody else can.
In fact, I’m nowhere close to near the place I need to be. However I’ve come fairly far. And I’m nonetheless transferring. On this article, I need to focus on some very particular methods I’m utilizing to develop my intelligence. Let’s dive in.
Listed here are 4 extremely particular methods to change into probably the most clever particular person in any room:
1. Intentionally resolve issues each single day
It’s arduous to outline intelligence. However a simplified definition that will suffice the needs of this text could be: “Intelligence is the flexibility to resolve an issue.”
Once you hear it, the definition fairly sounds apparent — however in sensible life, it isn’t to most individuals.
Give it some thought. To develop their muscular tissues, individuals go to the fitness center and attempt to elevate weights past their muscular potential. In response to that try, their muscular tissues develop — in order that come subsequent time, they’ll elevate that weight higher.
Such is the case with issues.
To be extra clever, it’s important to resolve issues. Nevertheless, most individuals unintentionally run away from issues. For instance, if an worker arrives at an issue, they instantly google an answer for it. Or they run to their boss and ask them for it.
In such circumstances, no cognitive effort has been put in. Consequently, no development of mind energy happens.
To counter this, an efficient technique could be to easily resolve extra issues.
- If you happen to encounter issues in your workplace, don’t run to your superior. At the least attempt to resolve the issue your self (particularly if it’s not an emergency.)
- If no drawback is at present presenting itself to you, search issues for your self. Choose an issue out of your life and take a look at to consider an answer. Or decide an issue outdoors your life and attempt to resolve it.
For the previous few months, I spend fifteen minutes daily attempting to resolve issues. A few of these issues are from my very own life — “How do I get up early?”, “How do I make time for this pastime?”, and so forth. And others are massive issues that the world is dealing with — “How can we reverse local weather change?” “How can we scale back tobacco consumption?”
The aim right here is to not got down to really resolve these issues. (Though it’s possible you’ll try this too.) The purpose right here is to easily drive your self to spend some cognitive effort — and in flip acknowledge generalized frameworks that may show you how to discover ways to resolve issues.
Your purpose in life must be to progressively resolve larger and larger issues. Identical to you attempt to elevate heavier and heavier within the fitness center.
2. Dig into the ‘Additional Studying’ part
Many e book readers — together with myself up until now — learn only one e book on a subject and we’re carried out with it.
However I’m altering my strategy to studying now.
My technique proper now’s to choose a subject and skim a number of books on the identical matter. As an example, to this point I’ve learn 4 books on the neurochemical ‘Dopamine’ and three books on cryptocurrency.
Right here’s my rationale behind this.
I’ve come to appreciate that every one the completely different topics that exist on the earth have completely different major frameworks in place. Nevertheless — they’re under no circumstances unique to these topics. These frameworks could be borrowed and used to resolve issues in different fields as nicely.
Let’s take an instance.
A number of years in the past, NASA engineers needed to put in photo voltaic panels in area in order that they’ll harvest photo voltaic power to run area gear as a substitute of batteries. Nevertheless, the issue that bothered them was that it was not potential to ship photo voltaic panels with massive floor areas into area utilizing rockets which are formed like pencils.
Then, a man names Brian Tease had an excellent concept.
He realized that they might use the rules of Origami to fold the photo voltaic panels such that they might match into the skinny rockets. And it labored!
Nevertheless, it was under no circumstances a coincidence that he was capable of provide you with this concept. Brian Tease really practiced Origami as a child — and therefore, his thoughts was capable of borrow a framework from that space of his life onto this one.
That’s exactly why I’m attempting to discover sure topics and discover depth by studying a number of books on them. This fashion, I’ll have lots of data and on the identical time, acquire completely different views on the identical topic. This can get me acquainted with the various frameworks of these topics.
Over a very long time — with sufficient topics explored and with sufficient frameworks collected — I’ll be a greater drawback solver. And consequently, be extra clever.
3. Play an instrument earlier than and through your pondering time
Initially, to be extra clever, you will need to take out time to assume.
As a result of individuals don’t actually assume anymore.
They’re at all times doing one thing. And after they don’t have anything to do — they’re consumed by their screens. That’s why scheduling some devoted time to assume is an efficient solution to be extra clever. That’s what we’re attempting to attain with level #1 on this article.
When you’ve developed a behavior of pondering daily, an incredible add-on to that behavior could be to spice up your cognition by enjoying a musical instrument.
In recent times, neuroscientists have been capable of learn individuals’s brains by hooking them as much as fMRI and PET scan machines. This consequently allows them to determine which elements of individuals’s brains gentle up throughout completely different actions.
Actions like Math and Talking have particular areas within the mind that gentle up — similar to they predicted. However when scientists had their contributors play musical devices, they had been surprised to see the outcomes.
They witnessed fireworks contained in the musicians’ brains. Virtually all elements of their mind lit up.
Supporting this research are numerous different research that present that enjoying musical devices helps enhance individuals’s cognition considerably. Owing to all these observations, TedEd went as far as to name enjoying a musical instrument the equal of a full-body exercise for the mind!
Right here’s a enjoyable accent to these scientific info.
In line with Einstein: His Life and Universe, whereas engaged on troublesome issues, each time Einstein confronted a roadblock, his resolution was at all times to play his violin. And he famous that the solutions would come to him mysteriously whereas enjoying the violin — as if the very act of making melodies inevitably led to the solutions being unleashed to him.
That is why I attempt to obtain the identical. Earlier than my writing classes, I play my ukulele — in an try and heat up my mind. And if I get caught in the midst of an article — once more — I decide up my ukulele for 5 minutes, and certain sufficient, the concepts begin flowing once more.
It’s completely price it to do that out.
4. Learn biographies of geniuses
Most individuals may assume that intelligence is impartial of an individual’s character. However maybe it’s not. Your character determines your selections and your strategy towards life — and that in flip generates your intelligence.
As an example, in Einstein’s biography, Walter Isaacson makes it evident that Einstein was extremely individualistic and hated herd mentality. He didn’t wish to assign himself to any explicit group — a lot so — that he even renounced his German citizenship at one time limit.
Einstein was additionally extremely skeptical in nature and his nonconformist angle led to him having an utter disdain for authority. However these character traits are precisely what led to Einstein being the neatest man in historical past — as a result of being who he was enabled him to assume how he did. Paradoxically, he as soon as said that “To punish me for my contempt for authority, destiny made me an authority myself.”
One other instance could be Steve Jobs. As an individual, Steve Jobs was fairly adamant. He needed issues a sure method — and wouldn’t accept something lower than what he envisioned. Positive. He was a ache within the ass to the individuals he labored with. However it was his adamant nature that pressured him and his group to assume past their perceived talents and provide you with progressive concepts to attain their envisioned merchandise.
These individuals had been capable of do what they did due to who they had been. Their legacy was a product of their intelligence. And their intelligence was a product of their character.
That’s why I’m at all times studying autobiographies of the individuals I take into account extremely mental — Steve Jobs, Einstein, Elon Musk — to call a number of. By studying about their life — by getting an in depth take a look at tales from their day-to-day lives— I need to know their character higher.
In hopes that their character will rub off on me and enhance my intelligence — similar to it did theirs.
Recap: Particular methods for larger intelligence.
- Clear up issues daily. Select issues you’re dealing with in your individual life. Or go larger. Clear up issues the world is dealing with.
- Discover a brand new topic past only a single e book. Go deeper. Collect a number of views. Let the frameworks diffuse into your unconscious — so as to use them in different areas of your life.
- Play a musical instrument. Use it to heat up your mind earlier than doing cognitively difficult duties. And use it if you hit roadblocks.
- Learn autobiographies of probably the most clever individuals in historical past. Let their character rub off on you.
Akshad Singi, M.D. has been revealed in Higher People, Thoughts Cafe, and extra.
This text was initially revealed at Medium. Reprinted with permission from the writer.
