Who comes to mind when you think of a wise person? You’re not alone if you find it difficult to generate an immediate response. Society does not frequently reward wisdom. It appears to favor stupidity.

Society undervalues wisdom, but it’s also widely misunderstood. The following are some wisdom myths:

• Wisdom is the same as intelligence.
• Either you have it naturally or you don’t.
• Wisdom only comes as you age.
• To live a wise life is to live a life of boredom.
• The development of wisdom “simply happens.”

However, these are untrue. The ability to act intelligently at the appropriate time and for the appropriate reason is the straightforward definition of wisdom.

Who doesn’t desire wisdom? Being wise doesn’t just show you’re smarter than other people, and it’s never passively earned. There are no shortcuts to wisdom. Nobody just leads a wise life. It requires proactive thinking, purpose, and intention. Instead of getting it in a single, breathtaking revelation, it develops through the peaceful, everyday moments of your life.

Wisdom is pure and sincere.  Wise people are peaceful and considerate. Their lives are examples of soulful living showing integrity and truth. The wise are open to reason because they will listen to all sides as they are impartial and have a growth mindset.  When you look at these characteristics of wisdom, you can see its value.

Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking, and listening activates the non-conceptual intelligence within you. Let stillness direct your words and actions. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Techniques To Develop Wisdom

Even if I’ve persuaded you that seeking wisdom is worthwhile and that it’s a lifelong process, the concept of expanding one’s understanding can still seem a little hazy. First, it’s crucial to not pursue it using a strict and legalistic checklist. It’s preferable to consider the quest for wisdom in terms of deliberate progressions and purposeful methods. Here are ten doable approaches to cultivating wisdom in your life.

1. Are you spending time with wise people?

Research shows you are most influenced by the five people you spend the most time with. So, ask yourself, “Are these the kinds of people I’d like to become in the future?” If not, it might be time to look into more wholesome relationships by seeking a trusted tribe. Actively seek mentors. Make a list of the older, wiser persons you know who best represent the characteristics of the life you hope to lead.

Invite one of them to lunch or coffee and ask questions. Honor them by describing what you observe in their life and by asking what they wish they had known when they were your age. And then ask if they would be open to developing an intentional, intergenerational spiritual connection where you could get together frequently and gain knowledge from them. Asking will require some courage and intention, but consider the advantages it could bring to your life.

Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. ~ Elizabeth Gaskell

2. Are you using your time wisely?

Examine your time management during the previous seven days and ask yourself the following questions: Where have I spent my time? Did any of it seem to fly by? When did I use my time deliberately and purposefully? Did I have occasions when I was idly passing time? What do I think about where and how I’ve spent my time? How might wise people I know react if I told them how I spent my time? How long have I been staring at a variety of screens? What matters the most to me? Did my actions today match my priorities? Have I spent my time on people, things, or tasks that will be important in two days, two years, or twenty years? How would the upcoming week look if I spent my time the following week on the matters that matter the most? By evaluating where you spend your time, you can determine if you aligned them with your purpose.

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. ~ Francis Bacon

3. Read widely and purposefully.

Almost every intelligent person I know has a humility that fosters a nearly unquenchable drive to develop and learn. And one of the easiest and most convenient ways for them to do this is by reading. There are undoubtedly many occasions when it’s simple to pick up our preferred magazines, access our favorite websites, or spend thirty minutes scrolling through our social media feeds. A minimal place exists for those endeavors. But wise individuals typically read much and extensively, selecting books, authors, and topics that are thought-provoking, interesting, and challenging. Consider reading a classic, a history book, a book on leadership, or a wise leader’s biography.

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. ~ Immanuel Kant

4. Reflect uninterruptedly.

Wise people strike a healthy balance between action and contemplation, giving their lives serious thought before responding to life’s circumstances. Through soulful reflection, you learn to understand the fleeting nature of existence. In other words, wise individuals diligently ponder how they live their days rather than merely going through them blindly.

Ask yourself where you want to be at 70. For what do you hope to be known? What are you most appreciative of? This week, where have you seen beauty? Where have you felt delighted or when do you feel joy? Examine journaling, going into a small period of silence, or putting your phone on the kitchen table and taking a short stroll around the block as you consider these questions. I promise you won’t die if you put your phone away for a short while. Consciously think about how you want to spend your life and then do it.

The first and most crucial step to living well, living truly and completely, is showing up—really showing up with all of your attention. The most important thing is to be fully present. You can’t expect to be alive if your thoughts are constantly elsewhere. That moment and what you are doing should be the only thing that matters whether you’re folding laundry, reading to your child, or walking the dog.

It is said that wisdom lies not in seeing things, but in seeing through things. ~ Manly P. Hall

5. Challenge yourself.

The encouraging maxim “Do hard things” has a lot of truth in it. Humans have the propensity to choose what is most convenient or pleasant for them. Modern amenities can improve the quality of your daily life, but if you’re not careful, you might start to make your decisions more on practicality and the easiest route than on what is wise or right.

Strive to achieve a personal objective you’ve been putting off for a while to stretch yourself. To get up a little earlier. You’ve been putting off calling that troublesome person for a week; make the call. Even though it’s not your responsibility, load the dishes into the dishwasher. Instead of reaching for the remote out of habit, spend 30 minutes reading. As an alternative to scrolling through social media, commit to working intentionally for an additional 20 minutes. Push yourself to perform difficult things every day, especially in ordinary, hardly noticeable, and seemingly unimportant circumstances. The difficult option is frequently the wise one.

Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day. ~  Zen Proverb

6. Contemplate before deciding.

Learn to pause and reflect before responding, as wisdom is about doing the right thing at the right moment for the right cause. Ask yourself, would this choice respect other people? Will this choice still be relevant in five hours, 5-days, 5 weeks, or 5-years? What are the opinions of the wise individuals in my life concerning this matter? Consider what they would do if they were in this situation. While it’s advisable to ask yourself these questions concerning major life decisions, you should also do so regarding less significant issues. Think about jotting a handful of these queries on a sticky note and sticking it somewhere you will see it regularly. They can serve as useful cues as you go about your day.

The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. Focus on each day as it comes.

I didn’t write my book, Raven Transcending Fear, in a single day. One day of deliberate effort followed by another, then another, and eventually—two years later — I completed my book. Long-term objectives should be kept in mind, but planning too far ahead might make the present feel impossible. I used to have to-do lists with items I wouldn’t need to complete for weeks or months, but I eventually recognized that it was wiser to keep my to-do list to just one day—the day I was living—was much smoother and more effective for me.

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom. ~ Socrates

8. Wisdom is knowing your greatest teacher is failure.

Taking missteps is a given. But the question is, what are you going to do with that wrong turn? I’ve abandoned far too many “failed” projects. Even though these throwaway moments are seldom enjoyable, I always end up appreciating them. Each misstep teaches me something crucial about who I am, what my talents and shortcomings are, and how I may play to my strengths more. You may concentrate on what the misstep can teach you if you can let go of the idea of perfection and acknowledge that you will take a wrong turn occasionally in life. If you view your missteps as opportunities disguised as obstacles, the bounce back up will be higher.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. ~ Samuel Beckett

9. It’s wise to detach from the outcome.

When I was younger, the results of my labors had become a source of pride for me. This makes sense because it’s only normal to want a reward when you work hard at something. But when you are attached to the result, the process loses its fun. Stress is brought on by worrying about an outcome. Whatever happens, is meant to. You have done the work and you must now let go. This crucial distinction—between what you can change and what you can’t, between what is in your power and what isn’t—appears in life in an infinite variety of ways.

Happiness and freedom begin with one principle. Some things are within your control and some are not. ~ Epictetus

Wisely Moving Forward

In human evolution, wisdom has been a crucial factor. Knowledge of what is real, sound judgment, and the capacity to accept lessons from experiences and failures are all characteristics of wisdom. Your ancestors adapted to their constantly shifting surroundings. There have always been wise people throughout history whose responsibility was to transfer knowledge down to the next generation.

Wise people frequently emphasized the following principles:

• Change is inevitable, therefore accept what is.
• Listen more than you say. Hearing yourself speak won’t teach you anything. 
• Admit when you have a problem and get help as soon as you can.
• Be adaptable and learn to pivot when necessary.
• Employ the scientific approach by asking questions.
• Delay deciding until you have sufficient information.
• Be open-minded.
• Share your expertise with others freely.
• Adopt a growth mindset.
• Learn to alter the variables that are adjustable and to accept the circumstances that are not.

It’s now much clearer to see why wisdom is important in life. Everything that wisdom entails is about discovering how to conduct your life in a way that enables you to be successful and enjoy life. This can only be achieved and sustained over the long run by acquiring and applying wise insights. Wisdom improves all elements of your life, physical, emotional, cerebral, and financial. For both your survival and the survival of those you share your knowledge with, it’s essential to learn from your experiences and the experiences of others and to impart that wisdom.

It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Many people find insight from family and friends. But occasionally, more specialized help—like my coaching services—is required. Do you need to see a new perspective on your life? Are you looking for support in learning to live more wisely? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? If so, please get in touch with me, and we can put together an action plan for you to be a visionary by living wisely.

To discover how I learned to access my inner wisdom, you can do so by reading my book, Raven Transcending Fear, available on Amazon or you can go to RavenTranscendingFear.com for more information.

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Summary

Article Name

Visionaries Live A Powerful Life Based On Clear Inner Wisdom

Description

You need to cultivate inner wisdom if you want to live the life you envision for yourself. Here are nine ways to become a wiser person.

Author

Terri Kozlowski

Publisher Name

Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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