Hello all,
So I’ve decided to start an exclusive section of my Substack where I share strategies and fundamentals of polymathic thinking and problem-solving.
This is my first piece for this new project, which I’m taking a stab at.
Thank you for your support and enjoy!
P.S. Some links are Amazon affiliates, and I get a nice kickback if you purchase through them at no extra cost! Doing so would greatly support my work.
It’s a new month.
A new set of Stoic meditations from The Daily Stoic, dedicated to:
Unbiased Thought.
But aside from this, this month falls under the umbrella of The Discipline of Perception, following the triad discipline structure from The Obstacle is The Way:
Perception
Action
Will
If you’ve been reading my work, first off:
Cheers for that! 😊
But most of all…
I wrote a discussion about the battle between thinking and doing with a significant amount of emphasis on action-taking. It’s a nuanced discussion as it should be, and I highly recommend you check it out if you haven’t before continuing.
The battle connects well with the discipline of perception.
Whilst we are steering away from taking action for granted, there is a temptation to take:
Our perception
Our thinking
For granted as well.
Reflect on this when it comes to problem-solving, both personal and professional.
Now as a polymath, your perception changes completely.
The world is framed differently.
You rethink your processes around how to handle knowledge and wisdom.
You invest in reframing the value of perception, which ultimately precedes the actions.
It may be contrarian.
It may be unconventional.
It may be weird.
But it starts with acknowledging and appreciating the thrills of complexity and the doors they can open.
And I want to share with you a series of mental models for doing so
Thanks to the latest research on polymaths, these will be based on the Core Dimensions of Polymathy laid out by Michael Araki and will be released one at a time:
Breadth
Depth
Integration
Starting with…
Breadth
What comes to mind when you first hear the term “polymath”?
It might be a famous person like Da Vinci.
It might be doing multiple things (curiosities, skills, etc).
When it comes to breadth, aspiring polymaths are fulfilling the poly component of their title, (poly = various).
Breadth is both obvious and nuanced, and it is what makes polymaths the intellectual rebels of society.
And we can spell this with an equation: