If there’s one thing that you should aspire to have more of, it’s wisdom. Wisdom actually has a lot of different meanings. It will depend on who you ask, and in what context you are referring to.
But as a whole, wisdom is often referred to as a uniquely human trait that is formed using advanced cognitive and emotional development. It can be learned, and it can be measured, but unfortunately, it is also quite rare. People often don’t exercise wisdom in everyday situations.
Wisdom is also often connected with intelligence and in a way, it’s true. Wisdom is shown when a person is able to create good decisions, sound decisions, smart decisions. And in order for you to use your wisdom in making choices, there has to be some intelligence present.
You have to learn and know facts, before you can properly discern which course to take. Wisdom is a step higher than knowledge. It involves self-awareness, understanding, and a sense of morality.
Okay, now that we have an idea of what it is, we can focus on the ways to increase wisdom.
1. Meditate and Know Yourself First
In order to create sound decisions about your life, it is of the utmost importance to first know yourself. Who are you? What motivates you? What things will benefit or harm you? What matters to you the most? These are some of the things that you should know by heart before you can make wise decisions.
To achieve this, you need to reflect and take time to know yourself. Find a quiet spot (at home, work, or outdoors) and clear your thoughts. Only in peace and quiet can you meditate and ponder on your self and your life.
Make sure to stay away from noise and distractions so you can focus your thoughts on what you want to know. Take deep breaths and steady the pace. Meditation and some “quiet time” is one of the best ways to know yourself and become wiser than before.
2. Seek Novelty and Learn New Things
Einstein, Da Vinci and all of the legendary geniuses in our history all have one thing in common, they excel in more than just one area of intelligence. One great way to increase wisdom is to do the same- learn new things. Even if it’s just a quirky hobby like pottery, or a funny expertise like magic tricks, these activities will help your mind to diversify and in a way get “sharpened”. Learning something new will stretch your mental muscles and enable you to create better decisions every day.
3. Challenge the Way You Think
Just like when you’re studying something new, you can also do certain activities that will challenge the way you think. Brain games like Sudoku, puzzles, and Word Hunts are a great way to increase wisdom because they also force your brain to do some exercise. However, it’s important to note that once you’ve mastered one type of activity, you need to move on to something new.
If you’re already a genius at number puzzles, try visual ones next time. These will increase your logic and speed up the way your brain processes things. Aside from games, you can also apply this to everyday situations like, new ways to cook certain foods, or finding alternate routes to work. The key is to challenge what is normal in how you think.
4. Do it the Hard Way
One of the most effective ways to increase wisdom is to do things the hard way. For example, while driving to work, turn off that GPS system. Use your God-given brain cells to figure out where you are. When you’re trying to research something, don’t google it on the internet. Make it harder for yourself so your mind will be force to think creatively.
Technology is one of the biggest culprits to decreased cognitive function because they make certain tasks so much easier. If you want to become wiser, try old-school methods. Do it the hard way.
5. Make Mistakes
Experience makes us wiser. Our mistakes make us better people in a lot of different ways. So don’t e afraid to take risks and commit errors. When we make mistakes, we learn faster and more permanently. And eventually, when you encounter the same situation again in the future, you’ll know better.
Good luck and may your wisdom increase tenfold!
Source: Operation Meditation;
