This One Habit will Instantly Turn You Into A Genius
To be effective leaders, we must shift from passive participation to active observation.
Developing the Skill of Observation
Observation is not about forcing our environment to fit into our preconceived vision of the world—it’s not a process that flows from us outward to others. Instead, when we observe, we invite an opportunity to improve everything about who we are and explore a limitless pool of possibilities.
Sherlock Holmes’s observational talent was so fascinating that it made the story a legend. It unearths our deep internal desire to notice things—to demonstrate extreme intelligence. And, although being hyper-observant may come easier to some than others, we can all get significantly better at seeing our surroundings from multiple angles and perspectives, leading us to new conclusions.
I often suggest a quick trick to get Holmes-level observation talent: Ask the right questions:
At first, it might feel awkward to run through a list of questions all the time. However, as we continue to practice this approach, our observation skills naturally sharpen. Soon we put the pieces together effortlessly and begin to see opportunities and possibilities. It will feel like magic.
Just imagine the ideas that would flow and the problems you could solve if you developed the habit of looking for meaning and connections by inviting others to share how they approach challenges and see the world.
Become a story collector and a connections chef to curate precious world-changing ideas and life-changing relationships. You could change the world.
What Happens When We Observe
When we observe, we commit to becoming conscious of our environment. Of the grass we walk on as we cut through the park to get to work. Of the sun’s warmth as we grab our shades to block the light. Of the children playing across the street, the woman talking on her phone in the stairwell, the barista who makes our morning coffee, and the custodian who empties our office trash can.
Observation is about all those things—and it’s about developing a conscious understanding of how those things connect. Our body is a part of something much greater than ourselves. We are a single building block in the entire natural world, and observation can strengthen our bonds with one another. All we have to do is use our observations strategically to practice LOVE as we move through the world together.
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Commit to consciously joining the world and you’ll receive that energy back tenfold—you’ll suddenly find the clarity to know who you are and what you value, and you’ll discover the joy of connecting with the world around you.
The LOVE system can help you see the world through a master’s eyes. Pull back the curtains and go behind the scenes of your life, work, and society.
This one habit, practiced consistently over the next year, will yield you the benefits of leadership mastery that would take 10,000 hours to build. According to research referenced in Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of intense practice and study to truly master a skill.
Digging deeper into this research, a great teacher is a part of the mastery system.
The LOVE system can help you see the world through a master’s eyes. Pull back the curtains and go behind the scenes of your life, work, and society. You have been in the audience watching the show. It is time to become a student of life who sees the work, the time, the struggle, and the joy of the process. You, then, will understand the parts of the system that make a masterpiece production.
What is a masterpiece?
It is observing and understanding the pieces of something that you and others deem worthy and outstanding. It is mastering the art of observing the pieces that make up our experiences together. As we evolve from mere observation to recognizing our values, we use what we observe to create and facilitate the alignment of those values with more ambitious goals. Our values then prioritize our actions based on the information that both we hear and see.