Leonardo da Vinci was a true Renaissance genius so extraordinary that people would stop and stare at the way he walked thinking it might be the most graceful perfect walk ever an underrated Talent he mastered more than 15 Fields including engineering geology philosophy military Science Biology and of course art his IQ is estimated to have been between 180 and 220 Beyond Mona Lisa and the Last Supper Da Vinci was centuries ahead of his time with his technological ideas Arthur schopenhauer said a similar thing about him as Talent hits a Target no one else can hit genius
hits a Target no one else can see but what made him a genius what set his mind apart reaching a level of wisdom that few ever attain that's exactly what I'll be discussing in this video and more importantly how we can apply those insights to our own lives Einstein once wrote to a friend I have no special talents I am just passionately curious Leonardo da Vinci actually did have special talents but what truly set him apart was his Relentless curiosity he wanted to understand everything why people yawn how they walk on Ice in Flanders methods
for squaring a circle what makes the aortic valve close how light is processed in the eye and how that affects perspective in a painting he gave himself instructions to study the placenta of a calf the jaw of a crocodile the tongue of a woodpecker the muscles of a face the light of the moon and the edges of Shadows he dissected 30 corpses analyzed the mechanics of bird flight which later helped him design a helicopter and observed nearly everything with meticulous attention his curiosity wasn't some magical gift it was the result of deliberate effort when he
visited the moates surrounding Sports a castle he noticed how dragonflies moved their four wings in alternating patterns when walking through town he studied how facial expressions reflected emotions this kind of curiosity isn't exclusive to Geniuses it's something we can all cultivate watch how water swirls as it flows into a bowl just like he did then ask yourself why it moves that way and this kind of curiosity has led to almost every major Discovery in history Einstein newon Steve Jobs you name it they all had Minds that questioned explored and expanded their Horizons Plutarch captured this
idea perfectly the mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled curiosity is that fire and we all have the potential to ignite it the problem we rarely give ourselves the space to do so we're constantly occupied scrolling consuming distracted but curiosity thrives in boredom think about Newton he was sitting under a tree lost in thought when an apple supposedly fell on him maybe that exact story isn't entirely accurate but the principle is true breakthroughs happen when the mind is free to wander that's what made Da Vinci a polymath and
it's something we can all tap into but there was one more thing that made his observation so sharp his mind so focused and that's what I'll talk about next in his notebooks Leonardo described a method for sharpening observational skills he suggested a game where one person would draw a line on a wall and the players standing at a distance would estimate its length using a straw the winner was the one whose measurement was closest to the actual length this simple exercise trained the eye to judge proportions and distances with Precision reinforcing his obsession with accuracy
in both science and art today scientists believe Leonardo possessed an extraordinary visual ability that allowed him to perceive fleeting moments with stunning accuracy this rare trait known as advanced flicker Fusion frequency is found in Elite athletes like top tennis and baseball players helping them process rapid movements faster than the average person but while some of his visual sharpness may have been natural much of it came from deliberate practice this exceptional eyesight allowed him to observe details invisible to most people one striking example is his discovery that a dragonfly's front and back Wings move out of
sync something that modern slow motion photography only confirmed four centuries later he meticulously sketched this observation proving that his ability to process visual information was Far Beyond normal human perception according to researcher Margaret Livingstone the Mona's famous smile is so enigmatic because it captures the precise moment of breaking into a smile a fleeting expression that Leonardo's sharp eye was able to freeze in time most people perceive emotions as static memories but Leonardo could recognize and capture the exact instant an emotion was forming his ability is often compared to that of Ted Williams an American baseball
Legend who claimed he could see the seams of a baseball as it rotated at high speed a skill possessed only by the best batters in the world but Leonardo's observational Mastery wasn't just limited to paintings he applied psychophysics the study of perception to create an uncanny emotional depth in his art his use of the Fato technique which blurred edges to create a three-dimensional effect was influenced by his understanding of how human Vision perceives softness in dim light he painted an overcast or evening conditions knowing that pupils naturally dilate to let in more light creating a
selective soft focus that made his portraits feel alive it's incredible how much he achieved simply by noticing what most people Overlook he didn't chase degrees or prestigious schools he cared only about firsthand experience and that's what made him not just talented but one of the most Brilliant Minds in history but there was one more thing he did consistently that allowed him to perform across so many fields and that's what I'll discuss next while painting The Last Supper Leonardo would often stare at the work for an hour make a single small stroke and then walk away
when Duke Ludo questioned this Leonardo explained that creativity requires time for ideas to marinate and intuitions to come together as he put it men of lofty genius sometimes accomplish the most when they work least for their minds are occupied with their ideas and the Perfection of their conceptions to which they afterwards give form most of us don't need advice on how to procrastinate we do it naturally but procrastinating like Leonardo is a skill it's not about Mindless delay it's about actively Gathering ideas immersing yourself in details and then stepping back to let everything simmer it's
closely tied to the power of boredom e a Sean put it beautifully when we cannot bear to be alone it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death ourselves researchers Sandy man and Rebecca Cadman explored this connection between boredom and creativity in their experiment participants were given a tedious task either copying numbers from a phone book or simply reading it afterward they were asked to brainstorm creative uses for everyday objects like plastic cups the results were surprising those who had simply read the phone book experiencing more passive
boredom generated more creative ideas than those who had to copy numbers this suggests that certain types of boredom especially the kind that requires little mental effort actually enhance Divergent thinking and creativity constant work without rest leads to burnout sometimes the Mind needs to slow down so ideas can take shape Leonardo understood this and it's one of the reasons he was so admired not just for his genius but for how he lived Leonardo da Vinci wasn't just a genius he was also incredibly strong and athletic in his time he was known as the strongest man in
Florence and would impress visitors to his Studio by bending horseshoes with his bare hands raised in his father's household he trained in physical Pursuits like horsemanship and fencing keeping him himself in Peak condition well into old age he was also an avid Walker and hiker always staying active but his commitment to physical fitness wasn't just about strength it was deeply tied to his creativity proving the link between movement and mental sharpness modern Neuroscience backs this up exercise has been shown to boost cognitive flexibility the brain's ability to shift thinking generate new ideas and solve problems
creatively studies reveal that even a single session of exercise like a 30-minute brisk walk can significantly enhance cognitive function Leonardo may not have had scientific proof of these benefits but he clearly understood them and honestly with his level of intelligence I wouldn't be surprised if he did figure it out what a man but there was something even deeper in his mindset something that explains his endless curiosity and Mastery of so many fields Leonardo da Vinci's Brilliance came from his ability to see connections where others saw separation his philosophy is summed up in one of his
most famous quotes to develop a complete mind study the art of science study the science of art learn how to see realize that everything connects to everything else he understood that the world is built on dualities light and dark science and art logic and creativity but rather than treating them as opposites he saw them as two sides of the same coin deeply interconnected and essential to a greater whole each opposite contains a piece of its counterpart just as light defines darkness and vice versa true understanding comes from embracing both and seeing how they interweave this
mindset allowed him to master multiple disciplines from Anatomy to engineering to painting because he saw them all as part of one giant puzzle for Leonardo nothing existed in isolation the universe nature human thought it was all part of a grand harmonious system and by training ourselves to learn how to see we can break through the illusion of separateness and recognize how everything is woven together but how did he keep track of all these interconnected ideas how did he organize his thoughts in a way that fueled his genius well he had a habit one that I
follow myself and one that helps me stay on track with my life and even with writing these scripts most people's to-do lists are pretty dull they jot down things like pick up laundry or buy milk and eggs Leonardo da Vinci was not most people and his to-do lists they were anything but ordinary he carried a notebook everywhere writing and sketching anything that caught his attention it is useful he once wrote to constantly observe note and consider and buried in his notebooks from the 1490s we find his to-do list NPR's Robert cwitch had it directly translated
and it included tasks like measure the city of Milan and its suburbs ask Maestro and anonio how mortars are positioned on bastions by day or night find a master of hydraulics and learn how to repair locks canals and Mills in the Lombard style later around 1510 his to-do lists shifted toward anatomy in a notebook filled with stunningly detailed sketches of Bones and organs he listed tasks like get a human skull Da Vinci's notebooks weren't just records of his thoughts they were a reflection of his insatiable curiosity and Restless mind it's no surprise that centuries later
we're still in awe of him his methods his mindset his habits they weren't just the key to his genius they're something we can learn from apply and use to expand our own creativity knowledge and way of seeing the world
