In our previous article we had discussed the fundamental aspect of genius. I had told you that technical knowledge, which is usually tested through the Intelligence Quotient exam, does not guarantee genius. Genius has much more to do with the ability to let go of all preconceived notions about how things are in order to find a completely new way to do what was previously thought to be impossible.

Do realize though that I am not putting down our concept of intelligence at all. Einstein needed to know a great deal about physics in order to be able to begin to make the great leaps that he made. Da Vinci was a very technical person who was very passionate about science. What these two individuals had in common though, which allowed them to surpass all others in their field, was a natural ability and a methodology that allowed them to let go of their structured knowledge in order to see outside of it.

The question then becomes, how can you develop this ability to let go of the known, in order to realize the unknown and the new? Well why don’t we borrow from these two great geniuses and apply some of their techniques:

Da Vinci used to love to stare at stains and blotches. Whether it was on his furniture or on walls, he would stare at these stains in order to find his inner genius.  He wrote that he would stare at these stains and would get lost in scapes that would naturally present themselves in his mind’s eye. He would get lost in a sea of trees or water as he stared at the stains, his body and mind relaxing as he did, until concepts would begin to flash in his head. These concepts he would implement and explore until he found the answer to his questions.

If you know a little bit about psychology then you will notice that this is very similar to staring at a Rorschach ink blot. As you stare at these ink blots, pictures are created in your head which are said to reveal a bit about your subconscious thoughts. You can similarly create these stain blots for yourself. The simplest way would be to take a clean napkin and spill some coffee on it.

Stare quietly at this stain and let your mind create pictures and contemplate the pictures that you see. Let your mind create whole new realms through those pictures and explore those realms and relax. In this way you can begin to contemplate your problems. Let your inner genius reveal to you what the solutions are.

Einstein was a great daydreamer. He was actually such a great daydreamer that he flunked math in school. But his great mental disability (or ability if you prefer) did not stop him from making one of the greatest contributions to our understanding of the world, actually it seems that it was this ability to daydream that made this possible.

For example he said that he was able to discover the relativistic aspects of time and the constant of light by imagining that he was a photon flying through space. You too can use similar methods to find solutions to your questions. To a greater or lesser extent, we are all able to imagine, visualize and pretend.

Next time that you have a question and need your inner genius to give you some guidance; let yourself daydream on the problem. Relax in your favorite spot and let your mind go for a moment. Relax and allow yourself to do what you did so well while you were in some boring class in school. When you are in a happy place, visualize in a creative way seeing things from a new perspective. Einstein visualized being a photon, you can do something similar or you can imagine seeing the problem from outside yourself in a whole new way. Let your mind go with this visualization and allow your daydream to bring you new perspectives and ideas.

With these two methods you are well on your way to solving any problem. You will also find that your intellect will grow considerably which will have a great effect on your intelligence. The trick here is easy is does it and have fun. Allow your inner genius to come out and above all have fun!