Use all your thinking gears

YOUR brain is far better than you think and what other people’s opinion may suggest. Use it well, engage all its gears and do not fight yourself or look down on your own potential.

Your life will go in the direction of your most dominant thought. Think noble, big, connected and inspiring thoughts and you will inch your way towards greatness. You are what you think about all the time. Your thoughts are shaping your life experiences and directing your energy.

Energy is too precious a commodity to be wasted. This is why you do not afford the luxury of dwelling on negative thoughts, fruitless dog-fights and baseless ego-battles. Think big and you will see the world opening up to opportunities for growth and development.

Your mind could be compared to a powerful bicycle with seven gears, and perhaps more. Do not be content to operate only one gear. Engage all the gears and take your life to the next level.

One of the greatest thinkers of all time was Leonardo Da Vinci. Michael J. Gelb (1998) has written an excellent book entitled “How to think like Leonardo da Vinci”. In the book, he identified seven principles of thought that Da Vinci used. It is these thinking gears that guided the way he thought and these thought principles are still relevant today. I would like to share with you my take on these seven gears of thinking, as I like to call then.

But first, who was this Leonardo da Vinci? Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452. His mother, Caterina, was a peasant from Anchiano, a tiny village near the small town of Vinci, about forty miles away from Florence, Italy. Your greatness does not depend on how poor your parents may have been. Never let the circumstances of your birth hold you back. You do not need to wear your background like a billboard to advertise your misery.

Do not go around thinking like a victim and expecting everyone to feel pity for you. Re-frame your birth and background circumstances into a motivational fuel and not a stumbling block. Do not think in terms of excuses but solutions you provide and possibilities to explore.

Leonardo’s father, Ser Piero da Vinci, who was not married to his mother, was a prosperous accountant and notary in the city of Florence. Young Leonardo was taken from Caterina when he was five years old and raised in the home of his grandfather, who was also a notary. At the time, children born out of wedlock were disqualified from membership in the Guild of Notaries, and Leonardo was not eligible to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

When one door closes, there are always some open for you. Welcome the path your life takes as a blessing.

Leonardo could have been perhaps the greatest accountant of all time but alas, another path waited him. He was sent instead to be an apprentice in the studio of the master sculptor and painter, Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488). Under him, Leonardo developed his artist skills and started his journey as a thinker. Beyond painting, Leonardo spent time busy with his studies of scripture, anatomy, astronomy, botany, geology, flight, geography and plans for inventions as well as military innovations. His interests were broad, proving that it is with your thinking that you limit your world. Leonardo died at the age of 67 on May 2, 1519.

The seven Da Vincian principles or thinking gears. You can use and apply these in your life and work.

1. Curiosità — This is an insatiably curiosity that you carry into every detail of your life and work. It is an unrelenting quest for continuous learning and exploration. 2. Dimostrazione — This is a commitment to apply and test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

3. Sensazione — This is the continual refinement of your five senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience. We live in a wonderful world and many pass through it blindly. This principle is a call to raise your awareness and live in this moment and make the best of it. 4. Sfumato (literally “Going up in Smoke”) — This is a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty. It is your ability to embrace the VUCA world we live in. 5. Arte/Scienza — This is the development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination. We would call this “Whole-brain” thinking. 6. Corporalità — This is the cultivation of wellness and fitness. It is the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise. 7. Connessione — This is a recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. We would call this Systems thinking.

Curiosità

Be curious and think about your environment. Have an insatiably curiosity that you carry everywhere. Do not be satisfied with just looking at things as they are, search beyond the surface and be an explorer. All great leaders are great learners. Your curiosity will always drive you beyond where your certificates took you. Eric Hoffer was right when he said: “In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Embrace Curiosità and, like Leonardo, carry with you a journal to record your thoughts, observations and insights. Keep asking questions and challenging your limitations. Ask the magic questions always. It is not enough to just complain, explore possibilities and seek to be an answer and solution provider. Do not delegate innovation to others in far away places.

Dimostrazione

It is not enough to just learn and see all that has been as what will always be. Commit to applying and testing knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. You will never learn unless you are willing to try, risking the possibility of failure. Apply what you know and test your thoughts. Some things will work and others will not work. Do not fear failure so much that you never do anything. The world is not just sitting waiting to see you embarrassed. If you ever fail, do not quit trying. There is no shame in that. If you failed just take that as a learning event but never as your identity. Keep holding your head high and applying yourself. Greatness comes as you move from failure to failure without a lack of enthusiasm and drive for success and growth.

Sensazione

Open your eyes to the wonder that you live in. See the beauty in things that others may easily ignore. Look at the beautiful sunrise and let it inspire you to raise your faith and your game. Look at the purple jacarandas in wonder and let them inspire you to add colour to your life and thought. Hear the sound of good music play into your soul and let your soul sing along. Be alert and be aware of the wonder you live in. Count your blessings and take time to sense them fully. ◆