Confucius once said that there are three methods of learning wisdom: "First, with reflection, which is the noblest method; second, with imitation, which is the easiest method; third, with experience, which it is the most bitter method. " Gaining wisdom, the most precious virtue in nearly all cultures, is a lifelong exercise of continuous learning, careful analysis, and thoughtful action.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Gain Experience
Step 1. Cultivate the beginner's mind
Do you remember the first time you saw a dinosaur skeleton at the museum? Or when you ate a very sweet peach? Your world in those moments expanded a little, and you became a little wiser. The Buddhist concept of the "beginner's mind" refers to the approach of a person who has just started, filled with the wonder of new concepts, and the challenge of starting something over. This is the receptive state of mind that embraces the wise.
Instead of being prejudiced about a situation, learn to have an open mind and repeat to yourself "I don't know what to expect": this will allow you to learn and gain wisdom. When you stop having a fixed idea of the people, things and situations around you, your wisdom grows by feeding on changes, new ideas and you do not place anyone above or below you
Step 2. Ask lots of questions
You don't stop learning just because you graduated or graduated, or because you have children and a lot of experience that you would like to pass on to them. Even if you are a senior teacher, or an expert in your field, you are not done learning. A wise person questions his motives, commonly accepted truths, and learns to appreciate questions in moments of ignorance, because a wise person knows when it is time to learn.
Anais Nin summed up the need to keep learning in an exemplary way: "Life is an ongoing process, a combination of states that we have to go through. The mistake many make is that of wanting to reach a state and stay there. And this is it. it's a bit like dying."
Step 3. Slow down
Stay still at least once a day, to allow you to rest and get away from the crazy rhythm of the world. Being constantly busy and constantly worrying about being considered inadequate might make you a role model in the workplace, but it doesn't make you any wiser. Stop. Stay still. Bring in what brings you an unhurried perspective.
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Fill your time with contemplation. Fill your free time with learning, not distractions. If you find yourself spending your free time watching TV or playing video games, try to replace an hour of television with one of reading, or choose to watch that documentary you've wanted to see for a while. Better yet, get out there and take a walk in the woods. In a short time, you will be wiser.
Develop Critical Thinking Skills Step 18 Step 4. Think before you speak
It's not always essential to express your opinion in a group, or to contribute just because you can. Wise men don't always have to prove their knowledge. If your opinion is needed, give it. An old proverb says, "The best samurai lets the sword rust in its scabbard."
This doesn't mean you shouldn't have a social life, or never talk. Rather, be receptive and become a good listener. Don't just wait your turn to speak because you think you are the wisest in the room. This is not wisdom, it is self-centeredness
Method 2 of 3: Imitating Wisdom
Succeed in Network Marketing Step 14 Step 1. Learn from mentors
Find people you respect and represent the values and ideals of wisdom. Look for people who do things that you find interesting and important. Ask them questions. Listen carefully to what they have to say, you will learn a lot from their experience and reflections. When in doubt, ask your mentors for advice and guidance; you don't necessarily have to agree with what they say, but they will definitely give you something to think about.
Mentors don't have to be successful people, or someone you want to imitate. The wisest person you know might be a bartender, not a math professor. Learn to recognize wisdom in anyone
Conduct Research Step 3 Step 2. Read anything
Read the works of philosophers and sociologists. Read the comics. Read Lee Child's adventure novels. Read online or on portable devices. Get a library card. Read contemporary Irish poetry. Read Melville. Read how your life was going on and form an opinion on the things you read and talk about it with other people.
Read mostly things that pertain to a particular field of interest, be it for business or pleasure. Read about other people's experiences and learn how they dealt with situations you may find yourself in too
Think Like a Graphic Designer Step 7 Step 3. Share what you learn with your mentors
It is a mistake to think that the wise are superior to everything. Never being disturbed by their emotions, the sages float above the rest of us in a bubble built by themselves. It's not true.
When you are frustrated or disappointed about something, it is natural to want to talk about it with someone who can goats. Surround yourself with wise, receptive and willing people who can give you the feedback you need. Be open to them and they will open up to you too
Communicate Effectively Step 25 Step 4. Practice humility
Is it wise to sell out? The world of business and marketing has convinced us that self-promotion is a necessity, because we have transformed ourselves into commodities that need a good promotional campaign and the business language often reflects this. However, there is a big difference between acknowledging yourself and others that you are good at something and emphasizing a certain category of skill by pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone just to keep the competition alive.
- Being humble does not mean not recognizing one's worth; rather, it's about being realistic and emphasizing only what's good and knowledgeable about you. In return, people will know that they can depend on your reliability on the traits in question.
- Being humble is wise because it allows your true self to show itself. Humility also ensures that you respect the skills of others rather than fear them; the wisdom to accept your limitations and connect with the strengths of others to strengthen your own is infinite.
Be a Man Step 10 Step 5. Be there for others
Wise men do not have to live in caves, growing beards in a state of hermitage. Exchange your wisdom with others to guide them. As a mentor and teacher, you can help others develop critical thinking, accept their emotions, appreciate continuous learning, and build self-confidence.
Avoid the temptation to use knowledge as a barrier against others. Knowledge must be shared, not accumulated, and wisdom will only grow through confrontation with others, no matter how hard it may be
Method 3 of 3: Reflection
Communicate Effectively Step 18 Step 1. Learn to recognize your mistakes
The most difficult journey is usually the one that requires self-analysis and honesty in admitting what it turns out. Try and work on the beliefs, opinions and prejudices you have hidden inside of you. Unless you want to know yourself well and love both the strengths and weaknesses within you, it will be difficult to become wise. Knowing yourself gives you the space to grow and forgive yourself as you embark on the journey of life.
Pay attention to any advice to improve yourself that contains "secrets". The only "secret" to improve is that which requires hard work and perseverance. In addition to this, you can have some leeway (greatly increased by the great success of the self - help industry), but you cannot change the reality: you have to work a lot of introspection and reflection on your inner world
Develop Critical Thinking Skills Step 5 Step 2. Accept that you can't know everything
The wisest people have always been the ones who admitted to knowing very little, often in spite of decades of learning and reflection. The more you think about people, things and events, the clearer it becomes that there is always something to learn and what you know is just the tip of the iceberg of all knowledge. Accept the limits of your knowledge, this is the key to wisdom.
Don't confuse experience with wisdom. Experience refers to a high level of knowledge in a given field, while wisdom is a broader concept that includes the complete picture of that knowledge, and you live peacefully, reassured that your decisions and actions are taken on the basis of the light of your knowledge
Resign Gracefully Step 8 Step 3. Be responsible for yourself
Only you know who you are and only you are responsible for your choices. If you have spent years doing what was right by another person's standards rather than your own, then you are not responsible for yourself. Change the job where no one recognizes your talent and find another where people will discover the tiger inside you. Move to a place where you are comfortable. Find a way to earn a living that doesn't compromise your compassion, ethics, and interests. Self-responsibility, which includes knowing how to accept the consequences of one's choices, increases wisdom.
Be a Man Step 1 Step 4. Make your life easier
For many people, the meaning of life is always being busy and complicating everything from work to love. Complexity can make a person feel important and desired, but it is not wisdom. In reality, it's a form of distraction from yourself and from dealing with really important situations, like wondering what your purpose is and what life is. Complications rule out reflection, leaving you vulnerable to the mysticism of experience, and could make things more complicated than they really are. Simplify your life and wisdom will blossom.
Advice
- You will have doubts about some of your decisions, because they only make sense if the reasoning behind them has some - and sometimes - you will have the impression that it is not so. But without decisions, you can't get the things you want. No article can give you advice on how to balance these needs, it's just up to you.
- If you use logic to make decisions, keep this in mind: if there are too many doubts in your reasoning, it will be hard to make certain decisions.
- There are three ways to learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is the noblest method; second, with imitation, which is the easiest method; third, with experience, which is the most bitter method.
