Da Vinci

[Lighthouse]

While digging in the archives, I thought I'd resurrect this for you Michael.

Pretty interesting

Kerri

[Michael_E]

From a post by John Litzenberg:

The Da Vinci Principles: Curiosity
OK, so I'm posting the exercises as I encounter them from How to Think
Like
Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, by Michael J. Gelb
(Dell
Publishing, New York, NY, 1998: ISBN # 0-440-50827-4):

Here's the first set:

The first part is a self assessment. You're supposed to do this in
preparation for the first exercise, answering yes or no to the following
statements:

* I keep a journal or notebook to record my insights and questions.
* I take adequate time for contemplation and reflection.
* I am always learning something new.
* When I am faced with an important decision, I actively seek out different perspectives.
* I am a voracious reader.
* I learn from little children.
* I am skilled at identifying and solving problems.
* My friends would describe me as open-minded and curious.
* When I hear or read a new word or phrase, I look it up and make a note of it.
* I know a lot about other cultures and am always learning more.
* I know or am involved in learning a language other than my native one.
* I solicit feedback from my friends, relations, and colleagues.
* I love learning.

OK, now that the assessment is done, the exercises are as follows:

* Keep a journal
* Make a list of 100 questions that are important to you. Your list can include any kind of question as long as it's something you deem significant:anything from "How can I save more money?" or "How can I have more fun?" to
"What is the meaning and purpose of my existence?" and "How can I bestserve the Creator?" Do the entire list in one sitting. Write quickly; don't worry
about spelling, grammar, or repeating the same question in different words
(recurring questions will alert you to emerging themes). Once you've finished, read them through and highlight themes that emerge. Consider the
emerging themes without judging them. Are most of your questions about
relationships? Business? Fun? Money? The meaning of life?

* Review your 100 questions and choose the 10 that seem the most
significant, then rank them in order from 1 to 10 (of course, you can add
new questions and change the order at any time). Do not attempt to answer
them at this point, simply order them.

Now contemplate the following "power" questions drawn from different
peoples' top ten lists:

* When am I most naturally myself? What people, places, and activities
allow me to feel most fully myself?
* What is the one thing I could stop doing, or start doing, or do differently, starting today that would most improve the quality of my
life?
* What is my greatest talent?
* How can I get paid for doing what I love?
* Who are my most inspiring role models?
* How can I best be of service to others?
* What is my heart's deepest desire?
* How am I perceived by: my closest friend, my worst enemy, my boss, my
children, my co-workers, etc.?
* What are the blessings of my life?
* What legacy would I like to leave?

Choose one of the following topics inspired by Da Vinci's passionate
questioning: a bird in flight, flowing water, the human body, a landscape,
reflected light, a knot or braid. And in your journal, ask at least ten
questions about it. Again, there's no need to write answers; in Curiosity,
we focus on the questions. For example: How does a bird fly?

* Why does it have two wings?
* Why does it have feathers?
* How does it "take off"?
* How does it slow down?
* How does it accelerate?
* How high can it fly?
* When does it sleep?
* How good is its eyesight?
* What does it eat?

Then choose a topic from your personal or professional life and do the
same
exercise -- ask 10 questions about your career, your relationship, your
health. Record the questions in your journal -- no answers yet, just
questions.

"To the creative mind, there is no right or wrong. Every action is an
experiment, and every experiment yields its fruit in knowledge." - Hagbard Celine