Rise of The Polymaths
In 2017, Salvator Mundi, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings, sold for 450.3 million USD. He was one of the greatest human beings to have walked on this planet. He was so keen to experience the life of other people that he used to actually dress up and act like them till he was satisfied that he has acquired certain knowledge about their lifestyle. As a young painter in Florence, Leonardo studied human anatomy primarily to improve his art. He is one of the first known person to have broken the water tight compartment of art and science. In today’s world he was a Polymath. According to Wikipedia, a polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of subject areas to solve complex problems. The idea of a universal education is essential to achieve polymath ability,
Till few years back, it was one of the best career advise that one should become a specialist in one particular domain rather than becoming “jack of all trades”. But things have changed recently. 21st century has given impetus to this belief that art and science are two different branches of the same tree. It becomes imperative to give nutrition to both the branches to be able to reap the full benefits. Many of the brightest minds like Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Marie Curie had varied interests and were Polymaths.
Elon Musk, one of the greatest polymaths of this era is expert in programming, engineering, design, manufacturing and has great business acumen. No doubt he is one of the biggest innovators of our time. The concept of high-speed transportation system Hyperloop made famous by Musk has great potential to solve current traffic problems across the globe.
People who have keen interest in different subjects and are constantly working to acquire new skills are more likely to be successful in their lives. They view different problems with different mindset and often come out with solutions which a specialist would generally oversee. Consider a simple example of a brick and mortar store selling products for elderly people. Given a business problem of enhancing sales for the store, a marketing person would create a plan with multiple discounts and offers on products. A visual merchandiser would give a plan to tweak the store layout for better accessibility. Similarly, a programmer would layout a plan of creating an app for increasing sales ignoring the basics requirement of elderly. A polymath with better perspective of both technology and design would give a plan of app with bigger buttons and easily legible fonts or a store layout which is elderly friendly with facilities like easy access to wheelchairs or walking sticks.
How does one become a Polymath?
Now the biggest holy grail is how does one become a Polymath. It is easier said than done. It is like having multiple hobbies at the same time. But as Napoleon Hill said “if you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way”, we should take small steps towards this big goal. The following basic steps would help you ignite the brain, a necessary condition required to become a Polymath
· Learn to play an instrument well. Einstein was a great Piano player. Researchs done over the years have proved that playing an instrument helps a person in improving his motor and auditory skills. Hippocampus, a part of the brain which is continuously involved in learning and memory undergoes structural and functional changes due to formation of neurons when someone plays an instrument regularly.
· Develop a reasoning algorithm like a 5-year-old kid: We believe it or not but our ability to question everything reduces with every passing year. Our inquisitiveness to find out truth behind everything diminishes every year. Developing 5W1H framework for every activity that we do can help us rekindle this flame of inquisitiveness. Who, What, Where, When, Why & How are the six best friends of a healthy mind. The more you interact with them higher will be your wisdom level.
· Read a number of books: This might be very intriguing to you but Social Media can never replace the humble books. To become a polymath it is utmost necessary to read quality books on continuous basis. Bill Gates reads 50 books per year and Warren Buffett spends 80 percent of his day reading. Reading books on various subjects or books on same subject with different viewpoints will help you widen your horizon of thinking.
· Keep a daily Journal: Reflection and continuous feedback is the greatest gift that one can give to himself. Keeping a journal with basics details of activities done during the day will help you reflect at the end of the day. It will help you focus on things that you could have done better or improvise on your current level of skillsets. Apps like Evernote can help you organize your daily routine.
Like following the routine of a successful person cannot guarantee you success, there are no fixed ways to become a Polymath. But enhancing knowledge of various fields opens the door of success.
Always remember specialization starts with generalization.
“Jack of all trades, master of 21st Century”
