Leonardo Da Vinci & Curious George

Written about two years ago (I never got around to hitting the “publish” button).

I was inspired to write this piece after listening to Tim Ferriss’ wonderful podcast episode with Walter Isaacson, the author of a few biographies including that of Ben Franklin, Steve Jobs, and most recently, Leonardo da Vinci.

Although I didn’t read Isaacson’s latest book, Leonardo da Vinci, both he and Tim Ferriss discuss high-level takeaways from the life of the great artist.

My biggest lesson learned was that Leonardo was completely self-taught, yet became one of the most educated people ever. His knowledge is attributed to his curiosity of life. He carried a notebook everywhere he went for a multitude of purposes, one of which was to write down all the questions he had for the world. Answers to questions as obscure as “what does a woodpecker’s tongue look like?” were da Vinci’s source of education, and ultimately the reason behind his wonderful pieces of art intersecting with math and science.

Learning from what is immediately around us.

Curiosity is a crucial ingredient in developing a cohesive understanding of the world and universe we are a part of. The crux of a spiritual journey is wondering why and how things, both living and nonliving, are the way they are.

I find that I can’t force myself to be genuinely inquisitive about something just because I think it may be a good idea. Curiosity is a mindset.

To understand the value of this mindset, all you have to do is listen to your thoughts, some of which are fleeting questions. Hang on to one of these fleeting questions and find the answer. I guarantee you will learn something new.

As answers to these various questions have compounded over time, I feel like I now have a better understanding of the connection between everything, art and science, business and humanity, whatever it may be.

By embracing my inner Curious George, I have become more connected to my inner self and in turn the universe around me, too. Let me know what a curious mindset does for you, I’m curious!

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