This is the second post in a series that I dedicate to the topic of improving ones skills by changing the way one looks at the world. It is inspired by a book called "How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci" by Michael Gelb, which shows that many principles we try to apply today were already know by the grand master of the Renaissance.

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In his description of Da Vinci's approach to the world, Michael Gelb identifies seven factors that distinguished this great scientist and artist of the Renaissance period.

The first factor, or principle, is curiosity (or in the master's native italian "curiosità"). The willingness to ask questions and keep learning about the world around us. As Gelb argues, this is something every one of us displayed as a child, from the first minute of our lives. But, while some of us keep asking the challenging questions, most of us start accepting more and more things in our world as given. We start being complacent and stop asking questions.

Leonardo himself seems to have had a very broad interest to understand everything around him throughout his life. That's not everyones default. Some people seem to be naturally drawn to certain topics early on. Others have broad interests at first, but latest in our twenties we're taught that specialization is important and we start narrowing our focus.

Whether that specialization is required or not - we should not lose curiosity and our openness to learn new things. If more than half of our intelligence is beyond the influence of our genetic code (see this post on the topic), our potential to get better at stuff we are deemed "untalented" for is enormous. And even if we will never become the best at a certain activity, it may still be worth trying something new every once in a while to broaden our perspective and get new inspiration.

Understanding that humans do have enormous potential for development and accepting that lifelong learning is key for that leads to two conclusions for every one of us. First, being curious and open to learn new things is a foundational element to our quest for personal fulfilment and happiness. Sometimes even the most trivial question is a starting point to discover invaluable insights. And second, encouraging and enabling the people around us to ask questions and inquire things they do not yet understand is not only a great way to help them develop, but also reinforces our own attempt to understand the world a bit better every day. Once we accept that a question is not a sign of weakness but the source of great talent, we start unlocking the potential of the people we work and live with.

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Please share your comments and inputs (via comment function, twitter, e-mail, etc.). In my short write-ups I address topics that I am particularly interested in because they align with my values and beliefs. As such, they are always a reflection of my ideas, thoughts, and opinions. The only thing I am positive in that regard is that I do not have all the perspectives, all the knowledge, or all the facts - help me be better tomorrow.