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Unlock Your Genius Potential: Learn From History's Greatest Minds
00:00:00 Genius Thinking
00:02:41 Intellectual curiosity.
00:10:37 Willpower and discipline.
00:18:25 Intellectual honesty.
00:25:31 A dash of polymath.
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Do you want to think like a genius? In this video, we'll dive into the
book Genius Thinking: Lessons From History's Greatest Minds on
Innovation, Creativity, and Intelligence by Peter Hollins.
Transcript
Genius Thinking:
Speaker:Lessons From History’s Greatest Minds on Innovation,
Speaker:Creativity,
Speaker:and Intelligence (Mental Models for Better Living Book 6)
Speaker:Written by
Speaker:Peter Hollins
Speaker:Narrated by Russell Newton.
Speaker:What is a genius?
Speaker:Perhaps the first answer that pops into
Speaker:your mind is the popular depiction of
Speaker:geniuses in T. V. shows.
Speaker:You know the kind - smart-talking,
Speaker:slightly arrogant black sheep who seem
Speaker:to solve the crime or win the chess
Speaker:tournament without breaking a sweat.
Speaker:People have always been fascinated with
Speaker:genius,
Speaker:and with the ability to wield superior
Speaker:intellectual mastery.
Speaker:Whether we admire geniuses in the arts,
Speaker:science,
Speaker:or business,
Speaker:there’s something so irresistible
Speaker:about the idea of a human being
Speaker:operating at their fullest potential.
Speaker:If you’ve picked up this book,
Speaker:it’s likely you too are interested in
Speaker:what exactly sets geniuses apart.
Speaker:Are they just born that way,
Speaker:and us mere mortals can do nothing but
Speaker:look on in admiration?
Speaker:Or perhaps there is no such thing as
Speaker:genius at all,
Speaker:only years of punishing,
Speaker:diligent hard work that pays off
Speaker:eventually?
Speaker:In this book,
Speaker:we’re going to take the perspective
Speaker:so often adopted by geniuses themselves
Speaker:- we’re going to approach the idea of
Speaker:intellectual mastery and success as our
Speaker:topic,
Speaker:and study it as Einstein studied
Speaker:physics.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:we’ll become students of human
Speaker:success,
Speaker:and look closely not into any one
Speaker:subject,
Speaker:but into the way we think about those
Speaker:subjects,
Speaker:and how we can optimize our learning
Speaker:and abilities.
Speaker:We’ll observe,
Speaker:take notes,
Speaker:and see what we can learn from the
Speaker:great thinkers of our time—and
Speaker:there’s a lot to learn,
Speaker:for those who are willing to pay
Speaker:attention.
Speaker:What genius can you think of,
Speaker:off the top of your head?
Speaker:In this book,
Speaker:we’ll look at the lives and works of
Speaker:people like Socrates,
Speaker:Einstein,
Speaker:Descartes,
Speaker:Darwin and Copernicus,
Speaker:among others.
Speaker:Despite living in different cultural
Speaker:and historical periods,
Speaker:and despite having different interests
Speaker:and ideas,
Speaker:these men in fact share a surprisingly
Speaker:predictable set of personal
Speaker:characteristics.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:what are these traits?
Speaker:Before you carry on reading,
Speaker:close this book and see if you can zoom
Speaker:in on just one or two qualities or
Speaker:attributes that you think make the
Speaker:essence of a genius.
Speaker:Intellectual curiosity.
Speaker:Chances are,
Speaker:you thought of something along the
Speaker:lines of “a genius is intellectually
Speaker:hungry and curious about everything."
Speaker:No matter the chosen outlet,
Speaker:intelligent and highly conscious people
Speaker:tend to want to know why.
Speaker:It’s this active,
Speaker:deliberate perspective that sets them
Speaker:apart from others who are happy to take
Speaker:things as they are,
Speaker:without ever looking more deeply into
Speaker:them.
Speaker:When we are children,
Speaker:we are perhaps more like natural
Speaker:geniuses than at any other time in our
Speaker:lives.
Speaker:We are the proverbial learning sponges,
Speaker:soaking everything up,
Speaker:asking a million questions a day,
Speaker:wanting to know how things work just
Speaker:for the joy of having that knowledge.
Speaker:When we grow up,
Speaker:adults around us indoctrinate us into
Speaker:certain educational conventions and
Speaker:institutions that dull this natural
Speaker:curiosity.
Speaker:We learn the rules,
Speaker:the right answers,
Speaker:and which authority to defer to.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:we stop relying on our own innate
Speaker:fascination with the universe around us.
Speaker:For a genius,
Speaker:curiosity never seems to subside.
Speaker:No matter how old they are,
Speaker:they seem to have a knack for looking
Speaker:at the world with the wonder of a
Speaker:little child seeing it all for the
Speaker:first time.
Speaker:They are enraptured by things that
Speaker:other people think are commonplace.
Speaker:They want to understand how it all
Speaker:works,
Speaker:what it means,
Speaker:how it fits together,
Speaker:and they don’t stop investigating
Speaker:until they find out!
Speaker:And this leads us to conclude something
Speaker:interesting - that people like Socrates
Speaker:and Einstein aren’t in possession of
Speaker:something superhuman;
Speaker:rather,
Speaker:they may have merely figured out how to
Speaker:retain a certain mindset that all
Speaker:humans are typically born with.
Speaker:We’ll be focusing on such people in
Speaker:this book because their lives are a
Speaker:matter of public record,
Speaker:and it’s easy to see what might have
Speaker:worked for them,
Speaker:but geniuses are all around us and more
Speaker:common than we think.
Speaker:Granted,
Speaker:many people in the world are dogged in
Speaker:their pursuit of knowledge.
Speaker:Picture a journalist relentlessly
Speaker:pursuing the “truth” or the next
Speaker:scoop,
Speaker:or an academic going over their field
Speaker:with a fine-tooth comb as they compile
Speaker:a Doctor of Philosophy thesis.
Speaker:The difference here,
Speaker:though,
Speaker:is that such people may be pursuing
Speaker:knowledge and intellectual mastery for
Speaker:some secondary gain.
Speaker:For example,
Speaker:they choose to learn and develop skills
Speaker:so they can make money,
Speaker:or win the esteem of their peers,
Speaker:or satisfy the expectations of others.
Speaker:The genius,
Speaker:on the other hand,
Speaker:doesn’t care about these things,
Speaker:or at the very least,
Speaker:these benefits are a distant second to
Speaker:the main reason for learning - “just
Speaker:because."
Speaker:And this is arguably why they can go
Speaker:further!
Speaker:A genius pursues knowledge and
Speaker:understanding for its own sake.
Speaker:The thrill of learning,
Speaker:of peering into the mysteries of life,
Speaker:of gaining a grasp of what was once
Speaker:unintelligible—these things are seen
Speaker:as rewards in themselves,
Speaker:and they are their own good worth
Speaker:chasing.
Speaker:You can see this in the fact that many
Speaker:geniuses will pursue knowledge and
Speaker:understanding despite the fact that it
Speaker:actually compromises things like money,
Speaker:security,
Speaker:and social approval.
Speaker:As we’ll soon see,
Speaker:many of the most celebrated geniuses
Speaker:throughout history were actually
Speaker:reviled by their peers at the time,
Speaker:or sacrificed relationships and
Speaker:financial security in order to pursue
Speaker:the object of their intellectual
Speaker:fascination.
Speaker:Geniuses are never lukewarm about the
Speaker:unknown,
Speaker:and they certainly don’t fear it.
Speaker:Instead,
Speaker:they are enchanted with it,
Speaker:and seek to satisfy their curiosity.
Speaker:Their attitude is one of the natural
Speaker:scientist—they want to engage with
Speaker:the deeper functioning of the universal
Speaker:machine,
Speaker:rather than simply accept the surface
Speaker:manifestations.
Speaker:Is this a trait that you can actually
Speaker:develop in yourself,
Speaker:though?
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:Remember,
Speaker:we are all born with an innate
Speaker:curiosity—we wouldn’t know what we
Speaker:know now or indeed have survived to
Speaker:adulthood unless we were 100 percent
Speaker:fine-tuned natural learning machines!
Speaker:It’s a question of reconnecting with
Speaker:that inborn curiosity and yearning to
Speaker:understand.
Speaker:There’s no point in pretending we are
Speaker:all born with the same talents,
Speaker:intelligence levels,
Speaker:and aptitudes,
Speaker:but remember that this is only part of
Speaker:the picture.
Speaker:If you can imagine an intelligent
Speaker:person who has lived an unremarkable,
Speaker:unexamined life,
Speaker:or if you can imagine a person who has
Speaker:learned much despite being only
Speaker:moderately talented,
Speaker:then you can see immediately that raw
Speaker:aptitude is nice,
Speaker:but attitude makes the difference at
Speaker:the end of the day.
Speaker:This attitude is one and the same with
Speaker:being “open-minded."
Speaker:It’s curiosity.
Speaker:When last were you genuinely curious?
Speaker:Try this - Just for today,
Speaker:go out into the world and literally
Speaker:imagine that you are a child again and
Speaker:everything is new to you (or maybe
Speaker:imagine that you are an alien who is
Speaker:seeing Earth for the first time and
Speaker:trying to make sense of it).
Speaker:Spend a day asking questions of the
Speaker:things that happen around you.
Speaker:Notice where your own curiosity is
Speaker:piqued.
Speaker:Where do you feel that rush of
Speaker:excitement and energy,
Speaker:that feeling that is as exhilarating as
Speaker:discovering a chocolate bunny on an
Speaker:Easter egg hunt?
Speaker:When you notice yourself feeling this
Speaker:curiosity,
Speaker:pay attention.
Speaker:Go more deeply into the questions you
Speaker:have.
Speaker:Think creatively about what you see,
Speaker:and ask yourself,
Speaker:“In what ways could this be
Speaker:different?"
Speaker:Don’t rush in to squash that
Speaker:uncertainty and mystery with a canned
Speaker:explanation,
Speaker:but rather relish the unknown.
Speaker:Many geniuses are able to make enormous
Speaker:breakthroughs in their field precisely
Speaker:because they were able to see the
Speaker:profoundly obvious facts of existence
Speaker:that everyone else has dutifully
Speaker:trained themselves out of noticing.
Speaker:Look for problems,
Speaker:and daydream about novel solutions to
Speaker:them.
Speaker:We tend to think of geniuses as
Speaker:serious,
Speaker:joyless people,
Speaker:but nothing could be further from the
Speaker:truth.
Speaker:The start of every marvelous idea or
Speaker:innovation is essentially play.
Speaker:To access this state of mind,
Speaker:ironically,
Speaker:asks us to drop our ideas of being
Speaker:smart,
Speaker:of being right or admired by others.
Speaker:It asks us to forget about the goals we
Speaker:might attach to being intellectually
Speaker:superior.
Speaker:Many of the world’s greatest
Speaker:discoveries were made by accident,
Speaker:when people relaxed their minds and
Speaker:simply looked at the same old things in
Speaker:a slightly different way.
Speaker:We’ll explore the fundamental value
Speaker:of curiosity,
Speaker:open-mindedness and a perspective of
Speaker:goalless play in subsequent chapters,
Speaker:but for now,
Speaker:imagine that a genius is nothing more
Speaker:than a child who sees the entire world
Speaker:as a vast and wonderful playground.
Speaker:With this mindset,
Speaker:you are halfway to being a genius
Speaker:yourself.
Speaker:Willpower and discipline.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:it’s not all just fun and games.
Speaker:Though many Eureka moments have
Speaker:happened in the ways described above,
Speaker:this is only the start of the journey.
Speaker:A person who is blessed with loads of
Speaker:natural curiosity will find plenty of
Speaker:interesting avenues of inquiry,
Speaker:but may never actually muster the
Speaker:energy and discipline to go all the way
Speaker:in any single one of them.
Speaker:This is because another quality is
Speaker:essential for reaching that level we
Speaker:associate with genius - hard work.
Speaker:There is a phenomenon known to all
Speaker:university lecturers - A brilliant,
Speaker:high-achieving student leaves high
Speaker:school and enrolls in an esteemed
Speaker:program ...and then proceeds to flunk
Speaker:badly.
Speaker:The trouble is not that this smart and
Speaker:accomplished student is failing—the
Speaker:problem is that they don’t know how
Speaker:to fail.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:because of their intellect,
Speaker:learning until that point has been
Speaker:pretty easy for them and not something
Speaker:they’ve ever had to work at.
Speaker:When they advance in their learning and
Speaker:start to get closer to the limits of
Speaker:their understanding,
Speaker:they are completely unpracticed in
Speaker:dealing with confusion,
Speaker:uncertainty,
Speaker:and the prospect of having to work
Speaker:extremely hard to make progress.
Speaker:They simply have never developed those
Speaker:skills.
Speaker:Their success up to that point has
Speaker:been,
Speaker:if you like,
Speaker:for free.
Speaker:Meanwhile,
Speaker:other,
Speaker:more “average” students who have
Speaker:already learned to work hard in high
Speaker:school tend to adapt more easily and
Speaker:may outperform those who are by all
Speaker:measures more intelligent.
Speaker:If creativity,
Speaker:inspiration and curiosity are the spark
Speaker:that get the fire started (not to
Speaker:mention inborn intelligence),
Speaker:then at some point you need a constant
Speaker:source of fuel to keep those flames
Speaker:burning for the long term.
Speaker:When we look at geniuses or
Speaker:ultra-successful people,
Speaker:we only see their success.
Speaker:We see them at the end of their
Speaker:journey,
Speaker:once the grand theory has been pieced
Speaker:together,
Speaker:the invention finally works,
Speaker:or the magnum opus is completed.
Speaker:But this is just the surface gloss,
Speaker:just a fraction of a percent of the
Speaker:total work that such a person has
Speaker:actually undertaken over years,
Speaker:often decades.
Speaker:This is like watching a person step
Speaker:over the finish line in a
Speaker:marathon—the final step is just one
Speaker:of hundreds of thousands of other steps
Speaker:that have brought them to that point,
Speaker:none of them quite as exciting as that
Speaker:last one!
Speaker:Geniuses do the work that other people
Speaker:are not willing to do.
Speaker:These are the people who are prepared
Speaker:to stay up late into the night.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:it’s insatiable curiosity together
Speaker:with relentless hard work that produces
Speaker:most of the genius’s success.
Speaker:Without passion,
Speaker:they cannot push through challenge and
Speaker:adversity.
Speaker:Without the hard work,
Speaker:the passion is never attained and made
Speaker:real.
Speaker:People can become fatigued with their
Speaker:life course because although they have
Speaker:the fuel (i.e. the willingness to work
Speaker:hard),
Speaker:they lack the sincere love for the
Speaker:topic that helps “ignite” them.
Speaker:They give up long before the person who
Speaker:is willing to work hard,
Speaker:but also genuinely passionate about
Speaker:their path of action.
Speaker:Patience,
Speaker:dedication and self-discipline are
Speaker:what’s needed to shape and direct our
Speaker:natural and spontaneous intellectual
Speaker:curiosity.
Speaker:Like scientists,
Speaker:we need to organize and structure our
Speaker:inquiry into the world around us.
Speaker:Experiments of any kind are useless if
Speaker:they’re not properly planned,
Speaker:logically laid out and diligently
Speaker:executed,
Speaker:often many,
Speaker:many times over.
Speaker:For this,
Speaker:we need to apply consistent effort and
Speaker:focus.
Speaker:When you are driven by the “big
Speaker:picture” and are enjoying the process
Speaker:of learning for its own sake,
Speaker:you can defer the enjoyment that comes
Speaker:with success.
Speaker:You are able to wait for the payoff,
Speaker:sometimes for years,
Speaker:because you understand the process
Speaker:you’re in.
Speaker:Patience and delayed gratification come
Speaker:easier when you are on a path you
Speaker:genuinely care about.
Speaker:If only money or praise drive you,
Speaker:you will drop out of the race when it
Speaker:looks like the adversity is more
Speaker:trouble than it’s worth.
Speaker:Or else,
Speaker:you may be tempted to settle for a
Speaker:smaller goal in the interim and forego
Speaker:the bigger prize because you want the
Speaker:satisfaction of achievement now rather
Speaker:than later.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:a genius is a rare creature because
Speaker:they contain within them a powerful
Speaker:blend of two quite opposing forces - on
Speaker:the one hand,
Speaker:they are open-minded,
Speaker:passionate,
Speaker:independent thinkers who pursue
Speaker:learning for the love of learning.
Speaker:On the other hand,
Speaker:they are supremely disciplined,
Speaker:focused and detail oriented,
Speaker:and can sit for a long time on work
Speaker:that may seem tedious and pointless to
Speaker:others,
Speaker:who cannot see the vision the genius is
Speaker:diligently working toward.
Speaker:Thus,
Speaker:one of the first myths we can dispel
Speaker:about human genius is that it’s a
Speaker:random fluke or a gift from the
Speaker:universe.
Speaker:Rather,
Speaker:genius is not so much about the tools
Speaker:you’ve been given in your tool box,
Speaker:but the wisdom with which you apply
Speaker:those tools,
Speaker:when,
Speaker:and how.
Speaker:How can you cultivate this diligence in
Speaker:yourself?
Speaker:This is the realm of self-discipline.
Speaker:The genius is their own teacher,
Speaker:and they don’t wait for external
Speaker:incentives to work hard.
Speaker:They just do it,
Speaker:and they keep doing it until they
Speaker:satisfy their own high standards.
Speaker:Then they up the standards!
Speaker:One way to bring some of this focus
Speaker:into your own life is to cut down on
Speaker:“noise” so you can better focus on
Speaker:the one (or maybe two)
Speaker:areas of life that are most important.
Speaker:You might decide that each day,
Speaker:you only focus on one main task.
Speaker:Really get sucked into it,
Speaker:and tune out all distractions.
Speaker:Go deep into the work,
Speaker:beyond the superficial.
Speaker:If you’re not challenged enough,
Speaker:push yourself more.
Speaker:If the work seems too hard,
Speaker:break it down and tick off smaller
Speaker:tasks until you gather momentum again.
Speaker:Whatever you do,
Speaker:don’t accept anything other than
Speaker:movement on your task.
Speaker:You can move slowly some days and more
Speaker:quickly on others,
Speaker:but never allow a day to go by where
Speaker:you don’t do something toward your
Speaker:chosen goal.
Speaker:This attitude that sees work as
Speaker:non-negotiable will make it easier to
Speaker:get into good habits.
Speaker:We’ll explore these techniques in
Speaker:greater detail later in the book,
Speaker:but a few fundamental principles
Speaker:underlie the most effective approaches.
Speaker:For example,
Speaker:set your grand goal…and then forget
Speaker:about it.
Speaker:Instead,
Speaker:turn your focus onto manageable,
Speaker:daily habits.
Speaker:Make work on your path seem as
Speaker:automatic as brushing your teeth every
Speaker:day.
Speaker:The big goals are achieved step by
Speaker:step—and the genius knows how to
Speaker:focus on those small,
Speaker:incremental steps.
Speaker:At the end of every day,
Speaker:they have moved forward,
Speaker:even if it’s only a tiny amount.
Speaker:Intellectual honesty.
Speaker:Let’s consider some other key traits.
Speaker:Imagine the genius at work,
Speaker:day after day.
Speaker:They try Plan A,
Speaker:and it doesn’t quite work.
Speaker:They tweak it and attempt another
Speaker:version,
Speaker:Plan B. This is better but still not
Speaker:quite right.
Speaker:They admit that some assumptions are
Speaker:not exactly founded.
Speaker:Plan C doesn’t work at all,
Speaker:so they go back to the drawing board
Speaker:and begin afresh,
Speaker:this time with a completely new
Speaker:approach.
Speaker:And so on.
Speaker:This kind of grueling step-by-step
Speaker:process requires patience and hard
Speaker:work,
Speaker:but it also needs something very
Speaker:important - humility.
Speaker:A person who is never willing to admit
Speaker:they’re wrong stops at the very first
Speaker:hurdle.
Speaker:If you are stubborn,
Speaker:have a big ego and hate making
Speaker:mistakes,
Speaker:you will stay precisely where you are,
Speaker:knowledge-wise.
Speaker:Those who close their eyes to evidence
Speaker:staring them right in the face are the
Speaker:opposite of scientists (and,
Speaker:in fact,
Speaker:they are the opposite of geniuses,
Speaker:you can pick your favorite
Speaker:description…)
Speaker:As an extension of being playful,
Speaker:open-minded and curious,
Speaker:one who pursues genius must be willing
Speaker:to let the process of learning lead
Speaker:them.
Speaker:Sometimes,
Speaker:this means that the process tells you,
Speaker:in no uncertain terms,
Speaker:“That’s wrong!
Speaker:Try again."
Speaker:A genius takes this “negative”
Speaker:feedback for what it is,
Speaker:thinks,
Speaker:“Hmm,
Speaker:that’s interesting,” changes their
Speaker:approach and simply tries again.
Speaker:A less-than-genius person looks at this
Speaker:feedback from the universe and is
Speaker:mortified.
Speaker:Because they have their ego wrapped up
Speaker:in the learning process,
Speaker:they see being wrong as a personal
Speaker:failure,
Speaker:and a reflection on who they are as
Speaker:people.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:when they get things wrong,
Speaker:they feel that they are wrong,
Speaker:and understandably,
Speaker:this feels like a pretty serious threat.
Speaker:The response is to deny that they are
Speaker:wrong,
Speaker:ignore the evidence,
Speaker:or sit tight and never grow because
Speaker:it’s too embarrassing to feel like a
Speaker:beginner.
Speaker:This is essentially the difference
Speaker:between a fixed mindset (i.e.
Speaker:“I am the way I am and I can’t
Speaker:change”)
Speaker:vs. a growth mindset (“It’s always
Speaker:possible for me to learn”).
Speaker:Take a look at the difference in
Speaker:attitude - Fixed mindset – Either you
Speaker:can dance or you can’t.
Speaker:I’m one of those who can’t.
Speaker:Growth mindset – I’m still learning!
Speaker:It’s tough,
Speaker:but I practice an hour a day.
Speaker:Fixed mindset – Why try?
Speaker:You’ll only fail.
Speaker:Growth mindset – I’ll try this and
Speaker:see what happens.
Speaker:If it doesn’t work,
Speaker:that’s interesting data and I can use
Speaker:that.
Speaker:Fixed mindset – It’s easy for you
Speaker:to say,
Speaker:but I’m dyslexic so I can’t do that.
Speaker:Growth mindset – My results depend on
Speaker:my consistent effort.
Speaker:When I see others do well,
Speaker:I get curious about how they did it and
Speaker:see what I can learn from them.
Speaker:We can also broadly call this trait
Speaker:intellectual honesty.
Speaker:It’s the ability to be flexible,
Speaker:to be honest with yourself and to
Speaker:self-correct without too much bias or
Speaker:stubbornness.
Speaker:The degree of your willingness to be
Speaker:wrong is directly proportional to your
Speaker:capacity to learn.
Speaker:After all,
Speaker:those who already know everything have
Speaker:no need to ask questions,
Speaker:to be better,
Speaker:or learn from others.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:they don’t.
Speaker:This is a trait that is very easy to
Speaker:develop in yourself,
Speaker:thankfully.
Speaker:How?
Speaker:It’s simple - be embarrassed
Speaker:occasionally.
Speaker:One thing that is incredibly freeing
Speaker:for the soul and the intellect is to
Speaker:quickly say,
Speaker:“I don’t know” when you really
Speaker:don’t know.
Speaker:If you’re in a discussion with
Speaker:someone who has just proven you
Speaker:incorrect,
Speaker:don’t dig yourself further into a
Speaker:hole by doubling down on your position
Speaker:or trying to make out that you were
Speaker:really right all along.
Speaker:Instead,
Speaker:say freely and quickly,
Speaker:“Yes,
Speaker:I think you’re right!” and simply
Speaker:let go of the idea or belief you held
Speaker:before.
Speaker:Easier said than done.
Speaker:But if you can consistently practice
Speaker:this trait,
Speaker:you will soon develop intellectual
Speaker:honesty and ironically,
Speaker:people will view you and your opinions
Speaker:more favorably.
Speaker:You demonstrate not only intellectual
Speaker:maturity but wisdom and
Speaker:level-headed-ness when you can honestly
Speaker:admit gaps in your understanding.
Speaker:Remind yourself that being wrong or
Speaker:making mistakes is not the end of the
Speaker:world.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:if you’re not regularly encountering
Speaker:your own ignorance and lack of skill,
Speaker:you aren’t challenging yourself
Speaker:enough!
Speaker:See mistakes and being wrong as the
Speaker:entry fee for playing the learning game.
Speaker:Remember that even brilliantly
Speaker:accomplished geniuses throughout
Speaker:history have been wrong—in fact,
Speaker:they’ve probably been wrong more
Speaker:times than you!
Speaker:The successful entrepreneur,
Speaker:it’s said,
Speaker:has failed more times than the average
Speaker:person has even tried.
Speaker:The genius,
Speaker:then,
Speaker:is not someone who finds everything
Speaker:easy and gets it right first time;
Speaker:rather,
Speaker:they are the people who have a higher
Speaker:than normal threshold for tolerating
Speaker:uncertainty,
Speaker:“failure” or confusion.
Speaker:They are the ones willing to be
Speaker:embarrassing novices for years before
Speaker:they get to show off their skill.
Speaker:They are the ones who won’t mind when
Speaker:people laugh at their crazy idea.
Speaker:While everyone else might feel sorry
Speaker:for a person who lost tons of money on
Speaker:a venture that didn’t pan out,
Speaker:that person may themselves be thinking,
Speaker:“Excellent!
Speaker:Now I know exactly what not to do next
Speaker:time.
Speaker:This is great…” Other than
Speaker:regularly saying “I don’t know”
Speaker:or “I was wrong” (and meaning it),
Speaker:the genius mindset is characterized by
Speaker:a sincere lack of bias and prejudice.
Speaker:Keep in mind your natural
Speaker:curiosity—it’s not something that
Speaker:thrives in the presence of dogged
Speaker:beliefs and ideas that never budge.
Speaker:Take a look at your own self talk and
Speaker:see if you can identify any times where
Speaker:you use words like “always” and
Speaker:“never."
Speaker:These could give you a clue to your own
Speaker:stubborn biases or assumptions that may
Speaker:need updating.
Speaker:A dash of polymathy.
Speaker:Let’s move on to another fundamental
Speaker:trait,
Speaker:one which we can only call
Speaker:“jack-of-all-trades-ness."
Speaker:Genius thinking is more lateral than
Speaker:vertical.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:it’s broad.
Speaker:Though geniuses like to look into
Speaker:things in depth,
Speaker:they are never specialists.
Speaker:This is because their natural curiosity
Speaker:carries them into all fields and topics.
Speaker:If you ask “why?” often enough,
Speaker:you will soon find yourself studying
Speaker:everything in life—and why not?
Speaker:Why restrict yourself?
Speaker:As you’ll soon see,
Speaker:the intellectual heavyweights of
Speaker:history all had this in common - they
Speaker:read widely,
Speaker:and had an enormous range of interests.
Speaker:If they were scientists,
Speaker:they dabbled in all kinds of science,
Speaker:and also enjoyed poetry,
Speaker:hunting,
Speaker:and economic theory (for example).
Speaker:If they were involved in politics they
Speaker:also had a religious interest and
Speaker:painted,
Speaker:or if they were philosophers,
Speaker:they also had a keen interest in
Speaker:anthropology and music.
Speaker:You get the idea.
Speaker:They didn’t box themselves in.
Speaker:It’s only the human mind that divides
Speaker:the world into little
Speaker:categories—geniuses see that
Speaker:everything is actually connected,
Speaker:and don’t put limits on their
Speaker:inquiries.
Speaker:A genius is well-read and up to date.
Speaker:They want to understand what is
Speaker:happening around them.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:when they talk to anyone,
Speaker:chances are they have something to
Speaker:contribute to the conversation,
Speaker:and if they are completely oblivious,
Speaker:they go into investigation mode and
Speaker:learn as much as they can when they
Speaker:encounter someone who knows something
Speaker:they don’t.
Speaker:If they are familiar with mathematics
Speaker:and programming,
Speaker:and they chat to an expert in
Speaker:literature,
Speaker:they can’t help but draw connections
Speaker:and relationships,
Speaker:seeking to understand the new knowledge
Speaker:in terms of what they already know.
Speaker:They might become curious about
Speaker:symbolic representation in literature,
Speaker:or wonder how an A. I. would codify and
Speaker:represent different writing styles,
Speaker:or how certain languages might be
Speaker:considered more “mathematical” than
Speaker:others.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:it’s this willingness to
Speaker:cross-pollinate different areas of
Speaker:knowledge that allows geniuses to come
Speaker:up with so many novel approaches and
Speaker:theories.
Speaker:Genius thinkers are at home with using
Speaker:analogies of all kinds.
Speaker:Their minds are constantly looking for
Speaker:the biggest possible picture.
Speaker:They want to know how everything fits
Speaker:together,
Speaker:so when they meet a new piece of
Speaker:knowledge,
Speaker:the first thing they do is examine it
Speaker:and see how it relates to the pieces
Speaker:they already possess.
Speaker:This is perhaps why so many truly great
Speaker:scientists are also deeply creative and
Speaker:artistic people—they know how to work
Speaker:with metaphor and analogy,
Speaker:and can rearrange concepts,
Speaker:switch perspectives,
Speaker:and “translate” ideas from one
Speaker:field to another.
Speaker:The way to foster this trait in
Speaker:yourself is to deliberately seek out
Speaker:connections and interrelations in
Speaker:everything you do.
Speaker:Don’t think in neat little boxes,
Speaker:but blend it all together.
Speaker:As a fun practice,
Speaker:look around in your life right now and
Speaker:identify one area in which you are an
Speaker:expert (or aspiring to be!).
Speaker:Now think of an area that you are quite
Speaker:ignorant of.
Speaker:Next,
Speaker:see if you can draw connections between
Speaker:them.
Speaker:Can you see how economies are a little
Speaker:like ecosystems?
Speaker:Or can you understand how composing a
Speaker:complex orchestral piece is a bit like
Speaker:putting together a recipe?
Speaker:Maybe you can hear some music and
Speaker:imagine that it has its own vocabulary
Speaker:and language—or indeed that it can be
Speaker:understood as a kind of animal.
Speaker:The point of making connections and
Speaker:relationships this way is not to
Speaker:discover any real or true links,
Speaker:but rather to open up your own horizons
Speaker:and start to see the world more broadly
Speaker:(i.e. as it really is!).
Speaker:Sadly,
Speaker:people are taught that “left brain
Speaker:and right brain” are different,
Speaker:and that people who are good at
Speaker:“hard” sciences will naturally be
Speaker:deficient in art and languages,
Speaker:while those who are more creative and
Speaker:socially minded will flounder when it
Speaker:comes to things like business or
Speaker:engineering.
Speaker:A genius doesn’t follow these rules
Speaker:in the least—remember,
Speaker:they see the world as a playground,
Speaker:and not as a house with rooms they’re
Speaker:not allowed to go into.
Speaker:In your own life,
Speaker:you can make a point of getting into
Speaker:the habit of never assuming something
Speaker:is outside your scope.
Speaker:Even if you think a certain topic or
Speaker:idea is too difficult or irrelevant,
Speaker:take a closer look anyway and see what
Speaker:you can learn.
Speaker:Another good practice is to routinely
Speaker:court information from all parts of the
Speaker:spectrum,
Speaker:i.e. don’t always go looking for
Speaker:material that only confirms the beliefs
Speaker:you already have.
Speaker:Don’t assume you know what “the
Speaker:other side” thinks and believes—go
Speaker:and check it out yourself!
Speaker:Get into real,
Speaker:good-faith arguments with people you
Speaker:disagree with and genuinely put
Speaker:yourself in their shoes.
Speaker:Deliberately seek out information
Speaker:online that contradicts your
Speaker:perspective,
Speaker:and see what happens.
Speaker:Besides saying “I don’t know”
Speaker:more regularly than others,
Speaker:geniuses also say something else -
Speaker:“This is my opinion… for now.
Speaker:But it’s only provisional.
Speaker:I’m willing to change it when I’m
Speaker:faced with evidence to the contrary."
Speaker:Finally,
Speaker:in mentioning how geniuses are
Speaker:comfortable with holding provisional
Speaker:opinions and changing their minds when
Speaker:necessary,
Speaker:we can’t help but consider something
Speaker:else about them,
Speaker:namely that they are seldom
Speaker:conventional people.
Speaker:Geniuses are constantly thinking
Speaker:outside of the box,
Speaker:or looking closely at the box itself to
Speaker:see what it’s made of,
Speaker:and how it functions,
Speaker:and why.
Speaker:Such people are not rebels exactly,
Speaker:rather they follow their own
Speaker:principles,
Speaker:and seldom have blind respect for
Speaker:arbitrary rules they see no sense
Speaker:behind.
Speaker:This is because they look more deeply
Speaker:into matters than is common;
Speaker:the world seems far more malleable and
Speaker:up for debate to them than it might
Speaker:seem to others—rules,
Speaker:in this case,
Speaker:can look like pointless limits and
Speaker:interference.
Speaker:We’ve already seen that the genius
Speaker:perspective is one that draws creative
Speaker:connections,
Speaker:sees hidden relationships,
Speaker:and investigates deeply into the real
Speaker:causes of phenomena.
Speaker:Things like baseless public opinion,
Speaker:random rules for the sake of rules,
Speaker:and fearfully towing the line are
Speaker:likely to be far from a genius’s mind.
Speaker:But again,
Speaker:it’s not as though the people we call
Speaker:geniuses get a thrill from rule
Speaker:breaking;
Speaker:it’s more that they recognize a
Speaker:higher authority,
Speaker:and if they do end up obeying and
Speaker:following orders,
Speaker:it will be because they accept the
Speaker:validity of another deep thinker’s
Speaker:perspective.
Speaker:Genius thinking is more characterized
Speaker:by non-hierarchical social structures,
Speaker:non-linear thinking and a tendency to
Speaker:go against the grain—if the grain is
Speaker:something that is merely part of
Speaker:tradition and convention,
Speaker:rather than genuinely the best way to
Speaker:do things.
Speaker:This is why geniuses are so often
Speaker:associated with science and
Speaker:innovation—these are the people who
Speaker:pull humanity forward with their
Speaker:insistence that there has to be more to
Speaker:life,
Speaker:even if people are afraid of trying
Speaker:something new.
Speaker:Genius thinking is dynamic and
Speaker:adaptable.
Speaker:It’s not afraid to adjust itself,
Speaker:or to change as needed.
Speaker:Thus,
Speaker:a genius thinker will have no qualms
Speaker:about completely dropping an old way of
Speaker:life to pursue an entirely new way of
Speaker:being.
Speaker:They are happy to dream up novel
Speaker:solutions,
Speaker:creative new possibilities,
Speaker:or even fantastical and outlandish
Speaker:dreams for the future.
Speaker:They don’t tend to take these
Speaker:thoughts and measure them against the
Speaker:accepted standards of the day.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:they don’t care about being popular
Speaker:or fashionable or even liked by others.
Speaker:And this is what allows them to be true
Speaker:explorers of the unknown.
Speaker:This can be a difficult perspective
Speaker:shift to bring into your own life,
Speaker:because every one of us,
Speaker:whether we admit it or not,
Speaker:is deeply embedded in the values and
Speaker:rules of our culture and historical
Speaker:period.
Speaker:We all have our assumptions and biases,
Speaker:and our beliefs about what is and
Speaker:isn’t possible,
Speaker:what’s right and what’s wrong.
Speaker:One of the genius’s best tools is the
Speaker:mindset that comes with asking,
Speaker:“What if?” and being genuinely open
Speaker:to whatever answers stem from that.
Speaker:Question your own “rules” that you
Speaker:make for yourself and you’ll become
Speaker:better at recognizing the unnecessary
Speaker:limits placed on you by others.
Speaker:You could practice this mindset
Speaker:switching for yourself,
Speaker:right now.
Speaker:Get out a piece of paper and,
Speaker:very quickly and without too much
Speaker:thought,
Speaker:write down five things that you
Speaker:absolutely know to be true about
Speaker:yourself or the world.
Speaker:Write down your core beliefs or
Speaker:assumptions,
Speaker:big or small.
Speaker:Let’s say you wrote down,
Speaker:“I value education and learning so
Speaker:I’m going to try to get into
Speaker:university."
Speaker:Now,
Speaker:look at this as neutrally as you
Speaker:possibly can.
Speaker:Look at the unspoken conditional nature
Speaker:of the sentence,
Speaker:i.e. the assumption that going to
Speaker:university is the best (or only?)
Speaker:way to get an education.
Speaker:Consider the hidden biases and
Speaker:expectations behind this—that
Speaker:teaching and learning come from
Speaker:recognized institutions,
Speaker:i.e. externally,
Speaker:and if you value education and learning
Speaker:you need to appeal to these
Speaker:institutions to let them allow you to
Speaker:learn.
Speaker:It’s just a simple sentence that you
Speaker:may never look more deeply into,
Speaker:but on closer examination,
Speaker:can you see how many rules are implied
Speaker:in it?
Speaker:Maybe it’s not true that university =
Speaker:education.
Speaker:A genius doesn’t take anything for
Speaker:granted…they don’t even take their
Speaker:own word for it.
Speaker:They ask,
Speaker:“What if…?"
Speaker:What if it were possible to learn more
Speaker:outside of university?
Speaker:What if the thing that you most wanted
Speaker:was actually not to follow the path
Speaker:that others in your peer group pursue?
Speaker:The answers are irrelevant—it’s the
Speaker:fact of asking the question that is
Speaker:important.
Speaker:In the chapters that follow,
Speaker:we’ll be looking more closely at
Speaker:specific examples of people who many
Speaker:have called geniuses.
Speaker:We’ll see not only that each of these
Speaker:people has perfectly demonstrated the
Speaker:traits we’ve discussed here,
Speaker:but exactly how they managed to express
Speaker:these tendencies and traits in their
Speaker:work,
Speaker:and indeed how these characteristics
Speaker:were actually the key to their success.
Speaker:Takeaways.
Speaker:•Geniuses come in all shapes and
Speaker:sizes,
Speaker:from all walks of life and all
Speaker:historical periods,
Speaker:but they can all be seen to possess
Speaker:certain predictable characteristics and
Speaker:mindsets.
Speaker:•If we can model our own lives on the
Speaker:traits we find in great and successful
Speaker:thinkers,
Speaker:we too can learn to fulfill more of our
Speaker:intellectual and creative potential.
Speaker:•The first trait is a lust for
Speaker:learning and an insatiable curiosity
Speaker:about how the world works,
Speaker:and why.
Speaker:This is knowledge and understanding
Speaker:pursued for its own sake,
Speaker:and not because it indirectly leads to
Speaker:another goal like fame or money.
Speaker:Such inspiration and passion gives
Speaker:incredible stamina to any effort.
Speaker:•Another trait is diligence,
Speaker:patience,
Speaker:dedication and self-discipline,
Speaker:i.e. everything associated with
Speaker:consistent hard work.
Speaker:Without detail-oriented and practical
Speaker:action taken daily,
Speaker:and a willingness to delay
Speaker:gratification,
Speaker:success will never materialize.
Speaker:•Intellectual honesty is also
Speaker:important,
Speaker:and this includes humility and the
Speaker:ability to admit that you don’t know
Speaker:something,
Speaker:or that you have made a mistake.
Speaker:Geniuses know that stubbornness,
Speaker:bias,
Speaker:expectation and ego can undermine
Speaker:genuine learning.
Speaker:•Most genius types are usually
Speaker:polymaths (skilled in many areas)
Speaker:and have broad rather than narrow
Speaker:interests.
Speaker:They are well-read and make connections
Speaker:between all disciplines,
Speaker:see relationships and analogies,
Speaker:and find inspiration in all fields,
Speaker:never limiting themselves to one area.
Speaker:•Finally,
Speaker:geniuses are usually assumed to be
Speaker:novel,
Speaker:out-of-the-box thinkers.
Speaker:Such people are non-conventional and
Speaker:tend to disregard arbitrary rules,
Speaker:fashions or unquestioned assumptions
Speaker:and habits.
Speaker:They are comfortable pushing outside of
Speaker:the norms and exploring new
Speaker:territory—and this makes them natural
Speaker:innovators and trendsetters (as well as
Speaker:problem solvers!).
Speaker:•We can always be aware of these
Speaker:mindsets particular to geniuses and
Speaker:deliberately work to cultivate them in
Speaker:ourselves,
Speaker:in a variety of ways.
Speaker:This has been
Speaker:Genius Thinking:
Speaker:Lessons From History’s Greatest Minds on Innovation,
Speaker:Creativity,
Speaker:and Intelligence (Mental Models for Better Living Book 6) Written by
Speaker:Peter Hollins
Speaker:Narrated by Russell Newton.
