1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,200 Are you worried that a single skill might not be enough to future-proof your career? 2 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:27,840 What if your greatest asset wasn't just what you know, but your ability to learn, adapt, and connect ideas across different fields? 3 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:35,080 Hello listeners, welcome back to The Science of Self, where you improve your life from the inside out. 4 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:48,360 Today's featured book from Peter Hollins is Polymath, master multiple disciplines, learn new skills, think flexibly, and become an extraordinary autodidact. 5 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:54,880 This is from his Learning How to Learn book series. 6 00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:00,640 His episode is Chapter 2, or the beginning of Chapter 2, The Polymathic Mind. 7 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:08,520 Picture Leonardo da Vinci, a true embodiment of the concept of a polymath. 8 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,320 Would he have shrugged off unfamiliar challenges? 9 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:13,120 It's pretty unlikely. 10 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:26,400 Our discussion today highlights the first crucial mental trait of polymaths that are covered in this chapter, and that trait is their ability to adapt and embrace new perspectives fearlessly. 11 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:40,160 The approach that we use in this book is to encourage ourselves to become less T-shaped, where the horizontal line represents breadth of knowledge and vertical lines show depth of knowledge. 12 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:47,960 So we would define a T-shape as someone with one vertical spike indicating a depth of knowledge in one particular topic. 13 00:01:47,960 --> 00:02:00,480 What we want to approach is a cone shape having multiple vertical spikes indicating expertise in many different areas, although maybe not as deep as a specialist. 14 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:08,400 This is what da Vinci, Elon Musk, Benjamin Franklin, and Aristotle all had in common. 15 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,200 So with that, let's get into the episode. 16 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:22,640 Don't forget at the end of the episode is the highlights or takeaways from today's lessons, then you can get a quick summary and recap of the most important concepts. 17 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:30,160 Check the show notes for that timestamp and you get a quick review of the main ideas that we covered in this episode. 18 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:31,520 Thanks for being with us today. 19 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:36,560 Let's get to it. 20 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:48,840 Given what we know now about polymaths, the natural question is to ask what we can learn from their approach, and how best we can set ourselves up to succeed in a quickly changing world. 21 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:56,120 This requires of us a little more creative thinking than merely asking, “What skills are valuable in the marketplace right now? 22 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:12,320 What’s the next big thing?” The truth is that successful polymaths are primarily driven by insatiable curiosity, a love for their fields, a yearning for mastery, creativity and expression—or a blend of all of these. 23 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:23,360 They may not share anything in common as far as their fields of expertise go, but they certainly share the same zest for life and set of traits that keep them pushing for more. 24 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:29,200 Thus it is not enough to simply mimic the end results of polymaths’ process. 25 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:36,360 We need to ask how they’ve thought and worked, rather than getting bogged down in the details of what they’ve done. 26 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:44,200 It’s about what has spurred them to develop a pi or comb shape instead of remaining as a simple T- shape. 27 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:51,520 Many people falsely believe that, to remain competitive, they need to upskill in all the fashionable and trending ways. 28 00:03:51,520 --> 00:04:09,400 People ask how they can learn to write computer code or trade cryptocurrencies, for example, not because this is where their passion genuinely takes them, but because they’re swayed by the stories of tech entrepreneurs who have already gone this (now well- travelled) path. 29 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:29,680 Unfortunately, this is a losing strategy for two reasons: one because by the time a trend is identifiable as such, it’s already on its way to being over, and two because mimicking others leaves you failing to capitalize on your own unique talents and perspective. 30 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,080 Adaptable and Open 31 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:33,080 32 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:43,200 The spirit of polymathy is what’s important, and it’s largely independent of any particular fields, subjects, or topics, no matter how relevant they seem on the surface. 33 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,560 It’s about versatility, flexibility, and openness. 34 00:04:47,560 --> 00:05:02,520 As an example, consider a person who believes that the future of clothing design and manufacture is changing, and that to survive they have to offer products that are ethically produced and appeal to more environmentally conscious buyers. 35 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,680 Sounds good so far. 36 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:18,000 Such a person may find themselves working in fashion or textile buying, and try their best to build and market a new brand using all the old business principles that work for more traditional clothing manufacturers. 37 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:35,320 But in their rigidity and dogged clinging to these methods, they may find themselves unwilling to change or learn something new, ignoring more subtle changes in the industry, failing to heed warnings that the “old ways” of doing things just won’t work anymore. 38 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:46,600 Another person, a devoted polymath, may work in an entirely different field but simultaneously nurture a passion for buying and selling secondhand or vintage clothing. 39 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:57,960 Though this person has zero business education and no experience, they have their finger on the true pulse of the fashion industry—renting and secondhand is the future. 40 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:06,760 They act quickly and on inspiration, and within a year have established a thriving online clothing exchange platform that completely disrupts the market. 41 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:18,040 While the previous person is stalling in their career, the polymath achieves success with seemingly lightning speed and without following any of the rules. 42 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:29,480 This is because their approach is not bound and limited by preconceptions, old models, possibly outdated beliefs and “business as usual” thinking. 43 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:46,520 Rather than this example being an anomaly, it’s increasingly the norm: minimally trained and modestly experienced entrepreneurs frequently swoop in and succeed by virtue of their flexibility, creativity, and sometimes, sheer audacity. 44 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,080 Here, mindset and attitude mean everything. 45 00:06:50,080 --> 00:07:00,520 This means being willing to adapt when necessary, to become comfortable and even expert at navigating quickly changing parameters and shifting challenges. 46 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:10,760 A polymath typically doesn’t react to adversity by asking what he can do to survive—he is usually already doing it when the opportunity rolls his way. 47 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:21,960 Rather than reactive, survival-mode thinking, the polymath engages with ideas and topics long before everyone else, often simply because he enjoys doing so. 48 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:35,000 This is why it’s so important not to merely ape what polymaths do, but to closely examine the mindset and perspective that leads them to act that way when others are choosing differently. 49 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,840 Let’s examine this attitude more closely. 50 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:43,160 Firstly, a lesson any polymath can teach us is a healthy disregard for rules. 51 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:54,400 Creative, inventive people see rules as provisional, and boundaries as mere working models until something better can be created or discovered. 52 00:07:54,400 --> 00:08:03,880 They know that right and wrong are often matters of (possibly flawed) opinion and don’t let ordinary convention limit what they’re willing to think about and imagine. 53 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:12,840 After all, engaging with material and ideas that are outside humanity’s comfort zone requires you to suspend your ordinary judgments and assumptions. 54 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:21,880 The inventor has an exuberance and curiosity that goes beyond what others may tell him is allowed or correct. 55 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:27,920 Going hand in hand with this attitude, necessarily, is an abiding comfort with uncertainty. 56 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:37,160 For intelligent, creative people, there is a degree of responsibility associated with asking big questions and expecting answers. 57 00:08:37,160 --> 00:09:00,600 Many historical polymaths held this attitude—“I didn’t find the solution I wanted in the world, so I made it myself.” This deep individuality and freedom comes from a willingness to tolerate the unknown, to act without complete information, to take risks and to live in a world that isn’t already inhabited and charted by authorities who can tell you what you need to do. 58 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:05,880 Polymaths fail often, and sometimes extravagantly. 59 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:17,520 They don’t care—while others might think of unknowns and possible failures as intolerable, polymaths are not only able to march ahead, but to thrive in these conditions. 60 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:27,720 Without a sincere curiosity and love for developing authentic knowledge and mastery, people can seldom endure the process it takes to reach grand, long-term goals. 61 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:33,040 But these are precisely the goals that most polymaths hold dear. 62 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:42,400 They focus on what they want and don’t allow anything to limit them—including their own irrational fears or laziness. 63 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:54,400 Finally, polymaths think of themselves in the same way they think of the various subjects they readily engage with—without the restriction and burden of boxes and oversimplified labels. 64 00:09:54,400 --> 00:10:03,120 When you think about it, so many of us are surprisingly ready to label ourselves one way or another, happy to take on the implied limitations. 65 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:11,600 Polymaths don’t bother; they seldom define themselves, and keep open to possibility and potential as long as possible. 66 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:19,160 Consider that today we have more labels for sexual identity and orientation than ever. 67 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:29,600 You can choose which political party, personality type, blood group, demographic or social class you belong to, and place immense significance in these labels. 68 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:41,960 There are labels for what religious beliefs you have or don’t have, the sports teams you support, the nation you’re part of, the race, even the media you consume and in what language. 69 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:47,320 You can even take a DNA test to more precisely identify which ethnic groups you belong to. 70 00:10:47,320 --> 00:11:01,880 The trouble with all this rampant labeling is that it closes you off to genuine, authentic, spontaneous engagement with life as it is, rather than life as someone-who-is-like-you sees it. 71 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:13,800 For example, you tell yourself “I’m not an R&B person, I hate it to be honest” and completely forego listening to an artist you might have actually loved. 72 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:21,040 Your identity here acted as a limitation, clearly separating what you felt was part of your world and what wasn’t. 73 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:29,800 Polymaths, by setting these limitations far less often, allow themselves greater access to new realms. 74 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:41,800 They don’t care if a certain idea, behavior or question isn’t for people like them, and they certainly aren’t afraid to change their minds or question whether a previous preference is still useful. 75 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:50,040 They are agnostic in their pursuit for an answer or a goal, and preconceptions, assumptions, and pride are put to the side. 76 00:11:50,040 --> 00:12:02,160 This is a profound idea that bears repeating: our concept of ourselves informs the experiences and knowledge we are willing to expose ourselves to. 77 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:14,520 It can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy: tell yourself often enough that you are a particular type of person, and you’ll eventually take enough actions to support that claim that it will essentially be true. 78 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:29,200 To get into the polymath mindset, ask yourself about the choices that you make, the opinions you have and the questions you ask—are you simply acting off of a preconceived idea of your identity? 79 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:37,480 You vote, shop, speak and work like an ABC because you’re an ABC and that’s what ABCs do. 80 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,000 However, people change. 81 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:50,960 How will know if you never allow for the possibility that one day you might do or want or feel something that goes against your old identity? 82 00:12:50,960 --> 00:13:03,200 The key to rolling with change—and to being an adaptable, flexible polymath thinker—is to not cling too tightly to ideas of who we are and what our limits are. 83 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,800 Are you the same person now that you were ten or twenty years ago? 84 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:15,800 If not, you probably shouldn’t behave as though the way you are now is the fixed, final form of your identity forevermore. 85 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:27,280 By being fluid and taking nothing for granted—not even the identity of the person who could take anything for granted—a polymath stays fresh and open to change, to new opportunities. 86 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:33,280 They grow faster and with less disturbance, since they don’t cling to old ideas that no longer work. 87 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:41,560 They’re not afraid to acknowledge when they’ve been wrong or abandon a project, even if they’ve invested considerably in it. 88 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:52,800 For an intelligent, curious polymath, there is never an end-state where identity is fixed, all questions are answered, and life simply stands still. 89 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,320 Of course, you want to uphold and honor your values. 90 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,840 Yes, you have your preferences and your loves and your habits. 91 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:11,800 But unlike others, you regularly subject those loves and preferences and habits to question, and constantly ask if something is working optimally, or if it can be better. 92 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:23,440 Polymaths don’t waste time identifying as anyone in particular—they see their identities as whatever they need to be to help them do whatever it is they want to do. 93 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:41,960 That’s often why you see truly accomplished people shrinking away from others labeling them a “genius.” This shows that their efforts are not about bolstering an ego or sense of identity—it’s not about who they are, but what they do, what they know, and what they can learn. 94 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:56,280 And that wraps up the episode on the first trait that polymaths share, extreme adaptability and openness. 95 00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:05,840 It's this curiosity and drive that pushes them to embrace challenges and seek solutions, no matter how unconventional or unfamiliar the path may be. 96 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,440 Here are the takeaways from today's episode. 97 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:19,440 The set of knowledge that a polymath has may differ completely from another polymath, but at their cores they are extremely similar. 98 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:29,400 This is because of the drive, curiosity and openness required to become pie or comb-shaped, as opposed to just T-shaped. 99 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:39,160 For instance, do you think that someone like Leonardo da Vinci looked at a problem he was unfamiliar with and said, someone else will take care of that, I'm going to take a nap? 100 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,160 Probably not. 101 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:48,800 The first mental trait of polymaths is extreme adaptability and openness. 102 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:54,960 Whatever the obstacle, it can be navigated or circumvented, it can be solved. 103 00:15:54,960 --> 00:16:04,040 To achieve this, you must embody flexible and resourceful thinking and not be bound by convention or personal habit. 104 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:09,640 You must be open to new perspectives and the unfamiliar in novel. 105 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:20,400 For instance, who was the first person to look at a cow's udders and think that they should drink what comes out? 106 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:22,000 Listeners, thanks again for joining us. 107 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:30,240 We leave you today with the words of another polymath, Thomas Edison, who said, I have no special talent. 108 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:37,480 I am only passionately curious.