Think Like Da Vinci: 7 Easy Steps to Boosting Your Everyday Genius. Michael Gelb

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      Study of flying birds by Leonardo da Vinci.

      We know well that mistakes are more easily detected in the works of others than in one’s own … When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and often look at your work within it, and it will then be seen in reverse, and will appear to be by the hand of some other master, and you will be better able to judge of its faults than in any other way.

      Not content with just one strategy for assessing his work objectively, he adds: “It is also a very good plan every now and then to go away and have a little relaxation; for when you come back to the work your judgement will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose the power of judgement.”

      “For in truth great love is born of great knowledge of the thing loved.”

      – LEONARDO DA VINCI

      And finally, he suggests: “It is also advisable to go some distance away, because then the work appears smaller, and more of it is taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion in the various parts and the colors of the objects is more readily seen.”

      His inexhaustible quest for truth also inspired him to look at reality from unusual and extreme perspectives. It took him under the water (he designed a snorkel, diving equipment, and a submarine) and into the sky (he designed a helicopter, a parachute, and his famous flying machine). He plunged into unfathomed depths and sought previously unimaginable heights in his passion to understand.

      Leonardo’s fascination with flight – his studies of the atmosphere, wind, and especially the movements of birds – offers a compelling metaphor for his life and work. A page of his notebooks depicts a bird in a cage with the caption “The thoughts turn towards hope.” He observes poetically that a mother goldfinch, seeing her children caged, feeds them a bit of a poisonous plant, noting, “Better death than to be without freedom.”

      Giorgio Vasari informs us that in the course of his frequent strolls through the streets of Florence, Leonardo often encountered merchants selling caged birds. It was Da Vinci’s custom to stop, pay the requisite price, and then open the door of the cage, releasing the prisoners to the endless blue sky. For Leonardo, the quest for knowledge opened the door to freedom.

      CURIOSITÀ AND YOU

      Great minds ask great questions. The questions that “engage our thought” on a daily basis reflect our life purpose and influence the quality of our lives. By cultivating a Da Vinci-like open, questing frame of mind, we broaden our universe and improve our ability to travel through it.

      Written backward, Leonardo’s notes are designed to be read in a mirror. Scholars debate the purpose of this “mirror writing.” Some suggest it was to protect the privacy of his thoughts, while others argue that it was simply a matter of convenience for a left-hander.

      Have you opened your door to freedom? The exercises that follow are designed to help you do so. But first take a moment to reflect on how frequently and effectively you are already putting your Curiosità to work – and how you might benefit from doing so more often.

      Consider the role of Curiosità in your life today. Ask yourself how curious you are. When was the last time you sought knowledge simply for the pursuit of truth? What did you gain from this effort? Think of the people you know. Do any of them strike you as embodying the ideals of Curiosità? How are their lives enriched by this?

      Your Curiosità can be developed and put to use more easily than you may have thought. First complete the self-assessment checklist on the next page; your answers will tell you how you are already using it – and where there is room for improvement. Then try your hand at cultivating your own Curiosità through the simple exercises that follow.

       Curiosità: Self-Assessment

       I keep a journal or notebook to record my insights and questions.

       I take adequate time for contemplation and reflection.

       I am always learning something new.

       When I am faced with an important decision, I actively seek out different perspectives.

       I am a voracious reader.

       I learn from little children.

       I am skilled at identifying and solving problems.

       My friends would describe me as open-minded and curious.

       When I hear or read a new word or phrase, I look it up and make a note of it.

       I know a lot about other cultures and am always learning more.

       I know or am involved in learning a language other than my native one.

       I solicit feedback from my friends, relations, and colleagues.

       I love learning.

      Eighteen sheets of Leonardo’s notebooks were purchased by Bill Gates for 30.8 million dollars in November 1994.

      CURIOSITÀ:

      APPLICATION AND EXERCISES

      KEEP A JOURNAL OR “NOTEBOOK”

      Leonardo da Vinci carried a notebook with him at all times so that he could jot down ideas, impressions, and observations as they occurred. His notebooks (seven thousand pages exist; most scholars estimate that this is about one half of the amount he left to Francesco Melzi in his will) contained jokes and fables, the observations and thoughts of scholars he admired, personal financial records, letters, reflections on domestic problems, philosophical musings and prophecies, plans for inventions, and treatises on anatomy, botany, geology, flight, water, and painting.

      “This is to be a collection without order, taken from many papers, which I have copied here, hoping afterwards to arrange them according to the subjects of which they treat; and I believe that I shall have to repeat the same thing several times; for which, O reader, blame me not … ”

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