Michael J. Gelb – Discover Your Genius

Imagine unleashing your creativity by letting your imagination enjoy the benefits of the type of mental play that helped inspire the theory of relativity. Or evaluating your business climate with the combination of keen observation and an open mind that yielded the theory of evolution. Or navigating your life path with the same love of knowledge and truth that spawned all of Western philosophy. The individuals behind these revolutions of thought live on in our collective memory as models for tackling the challenges that lie ahead. The difference between your mind and theirs is smaller than you think, and is determined less by inborn capacity than by passion, focus, and strategy — all of which are yours to develop.

Everyone has the potential for genius. The full expression of your unique genius awaits you in these pages! In Discover Your Genius, Michael J. Gelb draws upon the wellspring of history’s most revolutionary minds to guide you to unleash your own creativity through mental play. Searching for the most world- shaking ideas, discoveries, and innovations, Gelb assembled a “genius dream team” comprising ten individuals, each of whom embodies a special “genius” characteristic that you are invited to integrate into daily life.

They are:

• Plato-Deepening your love of wisdom
• Filippo Brunelleschi-Expanding your perspective
• Christopher Columbus-Going perpendicular: strengthening your vision, optimism, and courage
• Nicholas Copernicus-Reorganizing your vision of the world
• Queen Elizabeth I-Wielding your power with balance and effectiveness
• William Shakespeare-Cultivating your emotional intelligence
• Thomas Jefferson-Celebrating your freedom in the pursuit of happiness
• Charles Darwin-Developing your power of observation and cultivating an open mind
• Mahatma Gandhi-Applying the principles of spiritual genius to harmonize spirit, mind, and body
• Albert Einstein-Unleashing your imagination and “combinatory play”

Through fascinating, accessible biographies, you’ll develop a personal relationship with each genius and learn how to use his or her guiding principle to enrich the quality of your life. Personal self-assessments will help you gauge how each principle is working in your own life, followed by a series of practical and vibrant exercises to help you develop each principle fully.In How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, Gelb taught us how to unlock the “da Vincian” genius inside us. Now he provides an enlightening plan for personal and professional development by encouraging us to apply the wisdom of ten of history’s greatest minds. Engaging and practical, Discover Your Genius gives us the tools to improve our own mental abilities by making “genius thinking” accessible and fun!