The Secret Principles of Genius

by I C Robledo

  Benefits of the Principle

  Having a solid foundation, and an understanding of many different disciplines, will help your creative ability. Often, creative breakthroughs are made by an epiphany of realizing that one topic has a relationship to another. These relationships can be in completely different domains. As a fictional example, in the TV series House, Dr. House (played by actor Hugh Laurie) frequently solves a medical emergency where someone’s life is in danger. And he will do this while engaged in a random conversation that appears to have nothing to do with the medical case. He has such a broad range of knowledge that he is able to connect ideas many other people would have missed. Even though this is a fictional example, it is still a valid point. Building a solid foundation can help with creativity and with finding interesting and unique solutions to problems.

  The broader and more firm your foundation is, the more you will begin to see patterns and connections across even areas that seem completely unrelated. And in large part, geniuses are people who see more patterns and connections than most people. Part of the reason they can do this is because of their strong foundation of knowledge. In seeing more patterns and connections, you will be more likely to make more advances in your field than your peers. A common mistake is to think that the foundation is unimportant, and loaded with irrelevant information. It is risky to think in this way. Actually, all information can become relevant at unexpected times. For example, Steve Jobs took a calligraphy course (e.g., on artistic or stylized handwriting) which he credits as being important to the design of Apple computers. In a 2005 commencement speech he gave at Stanford, he said:

  If I had never dropped out [of college], I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

  Learning calligraphy may seem completely irrelevant to running a company that builds computers, but it wasn’t. Don’t think your foundation needs to be boring. You can choose for yourself what you want to learn in building your foundation. Just remember that the benefits will be greatest when you are open to learning in many topics.

  As another example of the benefits of a strong foundation, consider Ben Carson. He was an African American boy who grew up in a Detroit ghetto. In Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (referring to the book, but there is a movie of the same title based on the book) we learn that as a child, his grades were the worst in his class. Other children would tease him, calling him “dummy” or other names. Around this point, the situation seemed hopeless, and even Ben himself started to believe that perhaps he was dumb. Then things started to change. His mother, who only had a third grade education herself, started cleaning for people who were generally wealthy and well-educated. And she noticed that many of these people read books. With the fact that Ben and her other son Curtis were underperforming, she knew what she had to do:

  Mother had already decided how we would spend our free time when we weren’t watching television. “You boys are going to go to the library and check out books. You’re going to read at least two books every week. At the end of each week you’ll give me a report on what you’ve read.”

  At first, the boys couldn’t believe it. It seemed impossible to read even one book in a week. Neither had ever read a book on their own, aside from what was required for school assignments. Nonetheless, they respected their mother and did as she told them. Their mother’s decision quickly became a turning point for Ben (and his brother too). Gradually, Ben moved from being one of the worst students at his school as a child, to being one of the brightest students by the time he was in high school. Although most students of his upbringing were not even eligible to go to a major university, Ben was accepted into Yale with a scholarship. He eventually became a neurosurgeon and gained notoriety for performing difficult surgeries that were declined by most other surgeons. And he performed them successfully.

  The decision to have Ben read instead of watching television in his free time, changed the course of his life. He went from the worst student, to one of the best. He probably read more than almost any other student, and so his foundation was firmly established. Dr. Ben Carson’s life is an excellent example of how we all have the ability to build our foundation and change everything around, even if you start off at a disadvantage in life.

  How to Apply the Principle

  Learn from a broad range of resources

  The best time to establish a firm foundation is when you are young, but it is never too late to start. To build a foundation, take in your information from a broad range of sources. This may include books, articles, films, museums, classes, travels to new places, and so forth. Don’t feel limited to these, either. Broaden your education by broadening the sources of information that you go to.

  Learn in topics that interrelate with many others

  In choosing what to learn as a part of your foundation, put more consideration in topics that interrelate with many others. Some examples of this would be history, mathematics, psychology, geography, music, languages, general science, literature, and art. You will find that knowledge in topics such as these can be highly valuable, because it tends to relate to many other areas. For example, psychology is the study of human behavior. Understanding psychology can apply to learning about people in history, consumer behavior in a business, and also it can relate to criminal cases that happen in society, since they are committed by human beings, to name a few.

  Make friends who are experts in a variety of fields

  Make friends and acquaintances with people who study and practice in a wide range of professions and activities. Ask them about their work, what they do in a normal day, and what kind of insights they have come to in their field. It can be useful to ask about common misconceptions people have about what they do. Learning in this way can offer you a break from more intense forms of learning, such as studying textbooks.

  Secret Principle #12 : Gain a Depth of Knowledge

  “A man cannot understand the art he is studying if he only looks for the end result without taking the time to delve deeply into the reasoning of the study.”

  – Miyamoto Musashi, was an expert Japanese swordsman and rōnin, with an undefeated record in his 60 duels, many of them to the death.

  Geniuses Who Applied the Principle

  Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Miyamoto Musashi, Isaac Newton, Sakichi Toyoda, Leonardo da Vinci

  Description of the Principle

  Most brilliant people become known for their knowledge and discoveries in one specific field. Usually, they have acquired such an extensive knowledge in one area that they end up becoming a leading expert. As important as it is to gain a solid foundation (and a breadth of knowledge), and be able to tie in important ideas from different areas, it is also important to learn something at great depth. You should desire to become a master in a domain and to know it better than anyone else.

  When you pursue greater depths of knowledge, this means you will learn all of the main parts of a larger field. For example, if you decide to focus on physics, as you gain in depth knowledge, you will develop a solid understanding of mathematics, especially in equations that deal with physics, along with weak forces, strong forces, gravity, and electromagnetism. These are all areas that would require careful study, but if you choose to learn about physics at depth, it will be important to know them. Keep in mind that often, experts will choose a subspecialty and focus completely on it. For example, Einstein focused on problems dealing with time, the speed of light, and relativity.

  It is not practical to pursue the path of genius, and to only pursue a moderate amount of knowledge on various topics. Some brilliant people are able to learn many fields deeply, especially if they are somewhat related, such as mathematics, chemistry, and physics. Fewer will learn completely unrelated fields at great depth, but it does sometimes happ
en, as with Goethe and da Vinci. To have the best chance on your path to genius, you should pursue both breadth and depth of knowledge. In most cases, it will make sense to build up your foundation (or breadth of knowledge) first, and then to specialize in one particular thing you are most interested and motivated in.

  Benefits of the Principle

  One well-known genius who went to great depths of understanding was Leonardo da Vinci. He had the mindset of delving deeper into everything he did. In order to become a better painter, he wasn’t satisfied in simply understanding the human body at skin depth. In fact, he did something many of us would find grotesque, but he did it to understand the human body more deeply. Da Vinci would dissect human cadavers. He wanted to know how the bones, organs, and internal workings were arranged beneath the skin. He believed this greater understanding of the human body as a whole would make him a better painter, and it did. Observers of his work have often sensed that his paintings appear to come to life.

  Learning deeply is the essence of where true genius ability comes from. Brilliant minds tend to become fascinated with a topic, and this fascination makes them want to know everything they can about the area. It isn’t enough to learn superficial facts. They must truly understand it inside and out. When you have acquired such a deep understanding of something, it will be easier for you to learn new things in your field. You will already know the main principles and ideas in your area of focus, and you will quickly see how new information ties into what you have already learned.

  The leaders of a field often have the most knowledge in an area. But it isn’t just the amount of knowledge they have that makes them special. Typically, they will have a very deep amount of knowledge in something specific. They will know more about this area than anyone else. Acquiring a deeper knowledge will help you to position yourself as a leader in your field. As a leader, you would have more control over your work, and have more freedom to advance in your progress.

  How to Apply the Principle

  Five Whys

  This is a technique of asking questions to get to the deeper root of a problem. It can also be used to gain a greater understanding of a topic. It was first used by Sakichi Toyoda within the Toyota Motor Company. The technique involves asking “Why” five times, each time gaining a deeper understanding of the true problem.

  As an example, if you are studying global warming, you might ask these questions and get the following answers:

  Why is global warming happening?

  Because the Earth is getting warmer.

  Why is it getting warmer?

  Because the Earth is absorbing more heat from the Sun than it used to.

  Why is the Earth absorbing more heat?

  Because there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

  Why is there more carbon dioxide?

  There are some natural reasons for carbon dioxide, but much of the increase is because of people.

  Why are people increasing the carbon dioxide?

  People use power plants, cars, planes, and other industrial facilities which introduce more carbon into the air, which warms up the Earth on average.

  This last solution gets at the true reason global warming is happening.

  As you can see, asking “Why” several times (it doesn’t need to be exactly five) can help you learn more and more deeply about a topic. Of course, you may need to look up some answers on your own, or ask an expert, but this will help advance your knowledge and understanding.

  Formal studies

  One of the more typical paths to building a deeper understanding is to undergo a formal plan of study. You may earn a degree, such as a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD, or go through a certificate program. With this approach you will learn from professors or instructors who are experts in your field. Keep in mind that to gain a true depth of understanding can take many years, and even be a lifelong quest. For example, someone with a PhD will know a topic the most deeply, but will also have spent the greatest amount of time acquiring knowledge in their specialization.

  Informal studies

  A depth of knowledge can also be gained through informal studies, such as through books, online courses and instructional materials, interviewing experts, and so forth. You won’t have a formal instructional program, but if you are dedicated and patient, you can still learn a great deal on your own. The way you go about pursuing a depth of knowledge will depend on your goals. Some careers will require a degree, and others may not.

  If you are studying on your own, you will want to be sure to learn from a variety of experts. Keep in mind that there is rarely one authoritative resource that can tell you everything you need to know. And often, experts will disagree with each other. You will advance more deeply in your understanding when you question the experts, compare their opinions against each other, and build your own independent understanding based on critical thinking.

  Secret Principle #13 : Take Detailed Notes

  “Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.”

  – Jack London, American novelist, journalist, and social activist.

  Geniuses Who Applied the Principle

  Aristotle, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Victor Hugo, Jack London, Isaac Newton, Marcel Proust, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Oliver Sacks, Leonardo da Vinci

  Description of the Principle

  Taking notes can seem tedious, but many great minds have been practically obsessive about documenting the things they found important. This makes sense, as the best way to be sure you’ll remember something and be able to use it later is to record it. This isn’t just something done by students. You will find it useful to keep good notes so you can examine them at a later time and think about them more thoroughly. Perhaps with time you will come to understand them in a new way, or more deeply.

  There are many reasons to take notes, depending on your goals. If you are an artist, you may draw sketches or outlines of things you find especially interesting. Perhaps you can build those sketches up into a larger project later. If you are a novelist, you may write down interesting conversations you overhear. Perhaps you can work these ideas into your novel later. For the inventor, it could be a good idea to write down any time you are frustrated with a design. You may be able to improve upon it later.

  Benefits of the Principle

  Victor Hugo, the author of Les Miserables, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and other works, carried little notebooks everywhere he went. According to Daily Rituals by Mason Currey, he was known to write down virtually everything he said, along with the responses of those around him. He found it important to document everything he could, because it might end up being something valuable he could use in a book. With the great works he created, evidently his detailed notes were quite helpful.

  Brilliant minds will not be satisfied to remain at the same level of understanding, or at the same level of progress, for too long. Taking notes on what works, what doesn’t work, unexpected results, and so forth, is a good start toward making progress. If you commit to taking detailed notes, you will position yourself to grow and expand in your abilities.

  How to Apply the Principle

  Always have a notepad or notetaking device ready

  You never know when ideas will strike. They often come at unexpected times, so you have to be prepared. They may come when you are staring into the sea, watching television, or of course, when you purposely make the time to brainstorm. If you don’t have a way to keep notes at all times, you will risk losing your best ideas. Perhaps this is why some of the most brilliant geniuses were so obsessive about note-taking. They understood that it was an unacceptable risk, to potentially lose a breakthrough idea forever. Sometimes, in a moment of inspiration, many ideas will come to mind all at once in a frenzy. If you don’t write them down fast, it is easy to lose them.

  Consider using di
fferent devices and systems for notetaking

  With today’s technology, there are numerous ways to take notes. You can use pencil and paper, a computer, a smartphone, or even an audio recorder. Take your notes as you think of them or observe them, and evaluate later on if they were important or useful. It’s easy to make the mistake of getting an idea, and to either think it is brilliant when it is not, or that it is an awful idea when it is actually good. Take notes first, and evaluate later.

  Focus on the important things

  Take notes on things related to your most important goals. If you want to be a storywriter for films, take notes on your favorite films. You could take notes on story structure, things you like about the setting, the characters, etc. Through this kind of study and documentation, you will improve in your skills.

  If you want to rise to the level of executive in your company, take notes about the executives you admire and respect. How do they handle difficult problems? How do they interact with subordinates? What kind of words do they use?

  Be open to more types of notetaking than just writing

  Keep in mind that you can take notes in many different forms. Of course there are written notes, but there are also concept maps, timelines, outlines, drawings or sketches, diagrams (such as Venn Diagrams), and so forth. Don’t limit yourself to just words and sentences, if you find that you think best in other ways. Also, you have to consider the system that makes the most sense depending on your subject matter.

  Secret Principle #14 : Take the Path of Great Masters