The Secret Principles of Genius

by I C Robledo

“It is a mistake to think that the practice of my art has become easy to me. I assure you, dear friend, no one has given so much care to the study of composition as I. There is scarcely a famous master in music whose works I have not frequently and diligently studied.”

  – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, prolific and influential musical composer of the Classical era.

  Geniuses Who Applied the Principle

  The Beatles, Michael Faraday, Benjamin Franklin, John Keats, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pablo Picasso

  Description of the Principle

  In the medieval ages it was common for young workers to go through an apprenticeship. Today, we often receive training, sometimes on the job itself, or we go to an institution of higher learning. Under the apprentice system, a young worker would start as a complete beginner, and hope to learn all the fundamentals of the craft from a master. The process could take around seven years. At the end, the worker would have to prove his skills and abilities in order to pass onto the next level, journeyman.

  The apprenticeship was an effective and practical way to learn, and is still used today. To learn from the masters doesn’t necessarily mean you must go through a formal apprenticeship. Rather, the point is to realize that masters have been through the process of being a beginner and they have already proven themselves. The master knows the most important tasks that must be done in your field. The novice can easily become overwhelmed through lack of experience, but with guidance everything is much more manageable.

  Benefits of the Principle

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was obviously highly talented. From a young age, he loved to play the piano. But what is easily forgotten is that he had a father who was a talented composer and musician in his own right, Leopold Mozart. According to the Mozart.com article “Mozart and his Father”, “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was tremendously lucky to have an experienced musician as a father with Leopold Mozart. Leopold immediately recognized the potential in Wolfgang. He dedicated his life to supporting his son’s talent.”

  His father was there to help the young Mozart by giving him appropriate songs to play for his level, to help with technique, and with giving feedback to help him improve. With many of the most talented geniuses, their talent is so great that the masters they worked under can be easily forgotten. However, the guidance they receive is often a key component to the progress of the brilliant mind. Consider that someone had to teach the young Mozart how to read sheet music, which is its own kind of musical language. The fact that he learned everything fluidly and enjoyed the whole process can make it seem like the master, his father, had little impact. But without him, Mozart couldn’t have made as much progress as he did.

  In many fields, you need access to certain resources to be able to work. In music, you need an instrument or studio equipment. In statistics, you need the right computer programs. In agronomy, you need arable land (e.g., suitable for planting) and an irrigation system. The master, of course, is much more likely to have access to the relevant resources than a complete novice would. If you are just starting out, it is important to find the right master who not only has the resources you need, but is willing to allow you to use at least some of them. The other perk is that the master may be able to give you tips as to how you can acquire your own resources.

  One of the most important benefits of finding the right master, is that he will probably know where the work is. If you are in a field where jobs are scarce, a master will be quite good at finding work. In fact, he is probably good enough that people are calling him to ask for his services. On the other hand, the novice often has great trouble acquiring work. But you may find a good partnership with the right master. You can provide work for free or cheap, and gain immense experience. Also, you can learn how to best find new work while building a reputation for yourself.

  How to Apply the Principle

  Find a master

  You will want to find a master in your chosen field. You can search online or locally. The most likely way to draw interest is if you volunteer to work for free. If you can’t afford to work for free, keep in mind that you could offer to do this part-time. When you do this, you will stand to learn a great deal directly from a master. This is one of the most effective ways to learn, which is why the apprenticeship system was popular even in the medieval ages. Search for a master that fits with your needs. First, is the master an expert in what you specifically want to learn? Look for one who is accomplishing the things you would like to accomplish one day. As you assist them in their work, you can gain insights you wouldn’t have otherwise had. And in time you should feel confident and expert enough to venture off on your own.

  Mimic the master

  Many of us want to be unique, original, and stand out (as in Principle #6). However, when we are just starting to learn, it can be a better option to understand how the great masters of the past have worked. In fact, an excellent way to learn can be through mimicry, or by emulating the master. As a form of practice, it will be helpful to learn to do as the master does, very closely, perhaps even identically. For example, some novelists have practiced writing good novels by simply rewriting out famous novels, such as Ernest Hemingway’s works. If you prefer not to copy identically, you may change the sentence structure but keep the message the same. The point is that going through the process that a master did helps to internalize it so that it can be called to action at a later time. As another example, a painter may try to recreate the same exact work that a master created. Any errors will be a great chance for the master to teach the student a lesson in technique. Do not confuse these acts with plagiarism or forgery. The above recommendations are a training technique, and not intended for anyone to pass off someone else’s work as their own.

  Seek multiple mentors

  Rather than choose one master, you may go with the option of having multiple masters that you look up to as mentors. You could try to befriend them and ask questions. Let them know that you would like to learn more from them, and ask if they have time to discuss a specific concept or process. Don’t take up too much of their time all at once. Recall that this would be a favor. You can always approach different masters on your own. They may include experts, executives, or professors, for example.

  To start, figure out where they tend to be that you would also be welcome. This may be through online groups or at a conference. Do these masters have a blog you can visit and leave comments on, possibly allowing you to gain some attention? Do they give presentations at the University that you may be able to attend? Get involved with the same kind of tasks and venues that they take part in, and you will increase your chance of making a meaningful connection.

  Follow the media of masters

  Lastly, if you feel that the masters are out of your reach, for any reason, there is another way to gain access to them. You can always seek out great masters, their ideas, and their wisdom through the media that they have worked on. The ideas or works of many masters are captured in media, either through books, articles, audio recordings, videos, or other formats. Sometimes these materials will cost, and other times they may be free. It can be especially helpful to pinpoint one master who you look up to, and to consume all of the media the person has available. Learn everything you can in this way, for it will be the cheapest education you can receive at the highest value. The best places to access such works will be online, through libraries, or museums.

  Secret Principle #15 : Value the Classics and Use Them to Explore Great Minds

  “Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them.”

  – Italo Calvino, Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels.

  Geniuses Who Applied the Principle

  Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Stuart Mill, William Shakespeare, Mark Zuckerberg

  Description of the Principle

  Classics are books or other works of variou
s kinds that have stood the test of time. The mass public has endorsed them time and time again for their beauty, usefulness, or historic value. These have become the classics, known and revered, usually with good reason.

  There are many different types of classics, and in many different fields. There are books, movies, music, architecture, sculptures, philosophical works, ancient artwork, etc.

  In movies, there are the works of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. In artwork, there is Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh. In literature, there is Miguel de Cervantes and Isaac Asimov. In theater, there is Sophocles and Shakespeare. In nonfiction, there is Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. In music, there are the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Liszt. These are just a few examples. Really, the classics are very broad, and will differ depending on who you ask, the time period, and your location. They can also be from as recent as twenty years ago to as distant as thousands of years in the past.

  Benefits of the Principle

  John Stuart Mill was learning Greek at three years old, and Latin at eight years old. By 14, he knew the Greek and Latin classics quite well. This education was a part of his foundation (Principle #11). Given the emphasis placed on him learning the classics in his childhood, it is clear that they influenced his development and his understanding of his place in the world. Certainly it played a role in his thinking. These are all important things, considering he ultimately became one of the most influential English philosophers. It isn’t always clear exactly how exposure to the classics will help us. But they have often been critical to the development of the great masters of history.

  Keep in mind, that with classical works you are able to experience the highest level of quality from ages past. You get to enter into a time portal and visit and experience the best work from the greatest masters throughout history. This can be an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the past works in your own field, or to complement your knowledge with the classical works in other fields.

  The classics can show you a different way of thinking, or a different process from the norm, which can help spark new ideas. Sometimes, we get used to hearing about the same ideas and perspectives, perhaps because we often associate with people similar to ourselves (e.g., same socioeconomic status, geography, language, and culture). Reach for a classic, and this will allow you to experience a different time period, culture, and a new way of looking at the world. This will in turn help you to gain new insights.

  How to Apply the Principle

  Identify and read or consume the classics in your field

  Whatever industry or field you wish to master, make time to learn some of the classical works in the area. There are different classics specific to each field. You can identify them because they are usually older, and they may be mentioned or cited frequently, but not necessarily read or experienced widely. We often come to rely on either summaries, hearsay, or newer works which were likely inspired or influenced by the classics. But it can be the most useful and practical to read or expose yourself to the classics directly. For example, for the scientist, it could make a lot of sense to read Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species to learn his firsthand account of how evolution works. Of course, the concept of evolution itself has changed or evolved in time, but it can still be useful to understand what evidence he found that led him on the path to discovering evolution.

  Sometimes the classics may appear dull, outdated, or even irrelevant, but it is a mistake to discount them so easily. The ancient Greeks, even thousands of years ago, were great thinkers, and made discoveries which helped pave the way to modern science and philosophical thought. For instance, The Republic by Plato is one of the world’s most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and has stood the test of time for millennia. Do not assume that you cannot learn something from great thinkers of ages past. You may be surprised.

  Secret Principle #16 : Pursue Experiences that Offer the Greatest Learning

  “It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”

  – Hugh Laurie, English actor, writer, director, musician, singer, comedian, and author.

  Geniuses Who Applied the Principle

  Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci

  Description of the Principle

  First, I want to clarify that I like the Hugh Laurie quote above because the greatest opportunity for learning is often in doing things you feel you are not yet ready for. By the time you feel ready, the opportunity may be gone, never to return. We have to be willing to learn on the spot, to be a keen observer and use all of our attention to improve as we go. Sometimes all of this is under the pressure that a failure can result in losing a job or big opportunity, but we must use that pressure to push ourselves to do even better. Under such circumstances, we will have to work harder than everyone else to show that we are worthy of the work, and willing to learn anything necessary to perform at the highest level.

  Understand that when given the option, brilliant minds will tend to go for the one where they can learn the most. Even if there is fear, anxiety, or uncertainty in their abilities, they will tend to pursue the path that offers the most learning. If necessary, they will sacrifice time and money to gain the knowledge which is important to them. For instance, Einstein worked as a patent clerk for eight years because it gave him the time to focus on his true passion, physics. If he had been focused on a job with a greater reputation or income, he may have never had his brilliant discoveries in physics.

  Geniuses are not passive in how they go about learning new things. They don’t wait for someone to knock on their door with an opportunity for learning. Instead, they actively seek out the best opportunities. Their tendency to be active in their learning can be seen through many other principles in this book. They gain a foundation of knowledge (Principle #11), take detailed notes (Principle #13), and seek masters (Principle #14), for example. They want to learn all that they can, and not leave it up to chance.

  Benefits of the Principle

  The key benefit is simple. When you take the path toward the greatest learning, you will learn much more in less time. This means you will be able to make more progress and advance further in your field. If you repeat the process of always selecting the paths that present greater learning, or even creating those paths for yourself, your expertise and mastery will rise much faster than if you simply took the most convenient path.

  And having this greater expertise will allow you to put your focus on bigger and tougher problems. You won’t need to struggle to understand fundamental concepts because through being in the habit of taking the path of greater learning, you will quickly master them. You will find yourself gravitating toward bigger and bigger challenges. Perhaps you will fail at a task occasionally, but you will learn from these events and be better prepared to succeed the next time around. You will always be making progress and never remain stagnant in your abilities.

  By seeking the greatest learning opportunities, you will find that as you perform well at some of your endeavors, new opportunities will open up for you. People will come to understand that you are a serious learner, and in time your ability to learn will itself grow and evolve. You will be highly valued for your ability to understand new things quickly and to make smooth transitions into different areas. In time, you will find the best opportunities will tend to open up to you first.

  How to Apply the Principle

  Take the challenging path

  What will the path toward the greatest learning look like? Usually it will be especially challenging. You may feel uncomfortable, and uncertain if you are even ready to proceed. This is why your foundation (Principle #11) is incredibly important. If you know the fundamentals, learning new things won’t b
e as difficult as you imagine. The computer technician who has learned how to use twenty programs shouldn’t be concerned about needing to learn one or two new ones, for example. All of the background knowledge he has of other programs will help him learn new programs much more efficiently.

  Ask: Which option is a better learning opportunity?

  Any time you are presented with new options or opportunities, ask yourself which one will allow you to learn the most. This approach will be most important in your youth, when you have more to learn, and you can afford to sacrifice income in the short-term in order to gain understanding. In time, your complete mastery will help you to earn the income you desire. Also, when presented with opportunities, ask yourself which one will allow you to learn what is most important to you? Perhaps you are eager to be in a position of leadership. Then it would be wise to seek positions that allow a chance to have any form of leadership over others, even if you would not be officially ranked as a superior.

  Try many positions

  Make an effort to try every position that you can in your line of work. Many of us will become comfortable after being in a position for a long time. But this can be dangerous. You may know one thing well, but what if a critical member of your team decides to quit and you need to learn how to do their job right away? It is obviously preferable to understand how your work connects to other people’s work before something like this happens. You may be surprised that some jobs or task which seem difficult are actually fairly straightforward to learn. You may even discover a new talent in the process. There is no need to stray from your assigned tasks at your work. But if you finish them early, if it is a slow day, or if someone needs extra help, you can volunteer to help someone else.