Build Your Intellect
“We cannot know the exact pressures we will face in the future. So what we need is a box of diverse tools that can be used and combined in almost a limitless number of ways to meet the challenges we face. Some of these pieces will never have any use, and some will be complete game changers. But no one can divine this ahead of time. Survival of a business often depends on being able to change quickly. You can’t do that if you have to start from a blank slate every time environmental pressures push you to develop and innovate.”
- Farnam Street, The Great Mental Models Volume 2
There is so much to gain by growing your intellect - from living longer (research study -> here) to practical benefits that impact all areas of life. One’s performance at work, regardless of profession, can benefit from having at least a general level of knowledge across a wide range of topics. In David C. Baker’s Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors, the author states:
"One of the things that impactful experts do is make connections between disparate areas of knowledge. They see things in one field and apply them in another. Useful nuggets of insight are buried everywhere."
Being able to do this leads to ongoing material contributions in your professional pursuits. An ever-expanding knowledge base of diverse ideas leads to ever-improving positioning in life. By knowing more, you grow your ability to create options.
While there are excellent podcasts, long form YouTube interviews, and high quality articles to learn from - I think reading books is still the purest and deepest way to build intellect over time. Read books from a wide range of disciplines. Learn from fields way outside your comfort zone. The synthesis of that knowledge will produce unique wisdom that can be applied at work and at home.
Create a Personal Collection of Ideas
Okinawa, Japan
When I was re-reading Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations during a vacation, I reflected on how this classic work of enduring wisdom was not even meant for publication. Meditations is a collection of journal entries that the author, a Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, wrote as he navigated life’s challenges and triumphs. It has since become a revered and many times republished work of life lessons that is as applicable today as it was 1900 years ago.
Perhaps the greatest impact this book had on me was the inspiration to create my own collection of wisdom in my own hand-written journal. It is a way to deepen the learning of the most life-changing material that I’ve enjoyed.
My Traveler’s Notebook journal
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
— Marie Curie
Like the photos in our smartphones, if we don’t deliberately separate out the best, the most cherished can be lost in a sea of content. Consider picking up a journaling practice that has you reflecting on your favourite takeaways.
For some of my favourite collected wisdom from great thinkers on topics such as money, business, how the mind works, emotional intelligence, leadership and skillful living, click below.