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How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci : Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci : Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

List Price: $21.95
Your Price: $14.93
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A truly fantastic, thought-provoking work
Review: Gelb has created a fantastic, thought-provoking, even life-changing work. I would highly recommend reading this book and then following that up with some additional research about the life of Leonardo da Vinci.

I read this book some time ago. It had a profound and lasting impact on the way I live my life. Better yet, Gelb provided me with some very powerful tools so that I could come to better understand the most important person in my life... me. I have found the concepts and the tools presented in this book to be powerful and "top of mind" even a year after having read the book for the first time.

Gelb has a wonderful accomplishment in "How to Think". Join him and discover yourself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fabulous excercises for self-improvement
Review: Some of the best ideas are the simplest, the most obvious to understand and basic common sense. I used to have a professor in high school who defined common sense as the sense that is commonly absent. At any rate, this book has does a fantastic job of introducing you to 7 principles (based on Leonardo Da Vinci and his life - a true genius in the history of the world). As other reviewers point out if you're interested in learning more about just Vinci, there are plenty of other (perhaps better) sources to learn from. However, if you're interested in applying some of the master's techniques to your day-to-day personal and professional life (starting right now), then this your book! I strongly recommend you buy it and start using it right away to tap your own genius!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Before you buy this book...
Review: ...ask yourself a few simple questions. Why did da Vinci accomplish what he did without any self-help books? Why Mr. Gelb, who claims to have deciphered da Vinci's alleged "principles of genius," hasn't created a work of art that will last millennia? Why hasn't he made an invention decades ahead of its time? Is this all he can do with the arsenal of mental powers he claims to have discovered? Write a $11.17 self-help book? A bit of a letdown, perhaps? Answer these questions and you'll know if you need this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Inspiring Guide to Living Creatively.
Review: As a dedicated free-thinker I'm suspicious of self-help schemes that require higher powers, 'spiritual' raptures and untestable beliefs. I am, however, willing to test things out in my own experience and am willing to appear 'childish' while doing so. Leonardo, I have learned from Michael Gelb, did likewise. I've found inspiration and wisdom in Gelb's book and recommend it to anyone willing to open themselves to his message of human potential.

Leonardo's life provides examples of qualities that we can all move towards in our own lives. The book emphasizes that we are all much more creative than we realize. Open yourself to this message and you'll find applications that can make a real difference in your life. The book has a wealth of suggestions and a broad reading list. It provides a program of exploration and self-development that you can begin at once and continue to unfold for years. Read the book, toss aside your cynicism (as an experiment) and do the exercises.

A few days before she died from lung cancer, I did the Mona Lisa exercise with my mother. She had no trouble getting that smile. I will always remember that look on her face. Thanks, Michael!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A different form of self-help
Review: I really hate self-help books. I really do. Most of them spend 20 pages telling you how to help yourself and 250 talking about how wonderful it is to read the book you're reading.

But this book is different. I came upon this book very casually, not really looking for anything in particular. When I saw it, I knew that I had to have it. I have always loved da Vinci's art and his intellect - from the first time seeing the Mona Lisa in Paris as a teenager up to my latest trip to Florence a few months ago. But when I bought this book, it didn't occur to me that it might be in the genre of self-help because I was so fascinated with the subject, but that didn't matter once I started reading.

I really believe this book does give us a picture of how to think like da Vinci. The key is don't go into it expecting a lot, and you'll be pleased. Unlike some may perceive on buying this book, I never believed it to do so, and it never says, "You'll be a genius if you read this book." Mr. Gelb just describes da Vinci's methods of thinking, and credits da Vinci everywhere with multiple quotes. From start to finish, I don't think the author once tried to go off subject of how 'his (the author's) methods' were superior or any of the other self-help (...)- it's all credited to da Vinci. It's written fairly simply with daily exercises to produce the desired effects.

One thing that I find very beneficial in this book is that it gives a few paragraphs on how to help teach your children to think more broadly with each section. Having a child that is labled as 'difficult,' it helped me to understand him better, and to encourage his naturally intelligent behaviors such as curiosity when everyone has been trying to repress it...this to me is invaluable. By changing my thinking it really gave me a greater appreciation for a 3 year-old!

I only have one criticism of this book, where I truly believe the author inputs his own preferences exclusively - and that's mostly to do with the Sensazione exercises section in particular. Whether it's telling you to prefer Jazz over other music, or classical, I think his own opinions come through. But simultaneously I must add that his opinions are given as 'starting points' so to speak.

I have truly enjoyed this book. Although I haven't started the exercises (he suggests reading it thoroughly first) I feel that I have learned a great deal. It is also important to note that there is a companion workbook, which probably isn't necessary, but I'm going to buy it because I found this one to be a great book on improving insights and personal qualities.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just "un-self help" enough for those allergic to that genre.
Review: This book is one of two things to everyone:

1. a lifechanging read.

2. an ego boost.

For those in the first group, they'll identify a deficit in at least a couple of what the author calls "7 critical principals" which served as the principal enablers of Da'Vinci's genius (Curiosita, Dimonstratzione, Sensazione, Sfumato, Arte/Scienza, Corporalita, Connessione).

However, most of those that have the drive to purchase (and actually read) a book like this very likely embody (in some way) most of those seven tenets. This group is going to race through this book (I read in one night, lol, ultimate arrogance....whatev.) and feel pretty good about themselves.

I'd recommend circling back through those principals that you might be underdeveloped in. That's where this book was most valuable to me (other than the better working understanding of who this great man was and some of the very cool and diverse stuff he did), it helped me realize that I need to continually work to balance my interests (not so easy to do in this world of hyper-specialization).

I think this to be a fun and worthwhile read for everyone and highly recommend.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: You go Leonardo!
Review: I used to think of Michael Gelb as a Tony Buzan lite. They are both fascinated by enhancing cognitive faculties every which way they can through such tools as mindmapping. It happens Buzan always was first.

My opinion changed with this book. Michael Gelb established himself as a coleader in the field of enhancing one's whole brain faculties. In this book, he touches on so many different perspectives and techniques to develop your thinking abilities that I have to think of him as a real innovator.

Woops, I forgot the maestro himself, Leonardo Da Vinci, did it all a half millenium ago.

This fact does not detract from the book or Michael Gelb at all. Michael Gelb's fascination with Leonardo's superior faculties in everything is really contagious. Did you know that Leonardo was a world class entertainer, cook, and musician. He played a number of musical instruments very proficiently. He was apparently quite the athlete as a younger man. Through Michael Gelb's description, Leonardo seemed rather unreal, at least compared to any contemporary human being. Nevertheless, Leonardo comes accross so vividly. Thus, from both a cultural and historical standpoint, this portrayal of Leonardo is very interesting.

Another interesting aspect of the book, is a well developed drawing course in the second half of the book. I did these exercises. They were fun to do, and I discovered I could draw reasonably well. This was a fun surprise. You probably will surprise yourself too, unless you know already that you are an excellent artist.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just "un-self help" enough for those allergic to that genre.
Review: This book is one of two things to everyone:

1. a lifechanging read.

2. an ego boost.

For those in the first group, they'll identify a deficit in at least a couple of what the author calls "7 critical principals" which served as the principal enablers of Da'Vinci's genius (Curiosita, Dimonstratzione, Sensazione, Sfumato, Arte/Scienza, Corporalita, Connessione).

However, most of those that have the drive to purchase (and actually read) a book like this very likely embody (in some way) most of those seven tenets. This group is going to race through this book (I read in one night, lol, ultimate arrogance....whatev.) and feel pretty good about themselves.

I'd recommend circling back through those principals that you might be underdeveloped in. That's where this book was most valuable to me (other than the better working understanding of who this great man was and some of the very cool and diverse stuff he did), it helped me realize that I need to continually work to balance my interests (not so easy to do in this world of hyper-specialization).

I think this to be a fun and worthwhile read for everyone and highly recommend.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent! Offering a unique insight on cultivating genius
Review: After reading this book I realized that I am a modern Renaissance man and didn't even know. This book puts into to words and seven principles the way I feel I have conducted a large part of my life. I followed the author's suggestion and read the entire book before embarking on the exercises. I have just started going back through the book and the exercises that are suggested are profound in their effect. The very first thing it suggests to do is keep a journal/notebook in which you write, draw, and ponder. The second exercise is unbelievable. As quickly as you can, write out 100 questions of importance to you. Allow your mind to steer you, instead of trying to steer your mind and you will be amazed at some of the questions you ask. For more of these great exercises though, you'll have to buy the book...

If you feel you need to cultivate your inner self, I would highly recommend this book. It offers great insight into what you should be doing to be like Leonardo da Vinci, or any of the other great mind for that matter.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: This book is Lame
Review: I recently purchased this book and have read it cover to cover. Both the title and the cover art caused me to expect a bit too much from this book. The context does provide many day to day activities in which one can enhance their awareness of the world around them as well as expand ones mind.

I, however, suggest that no one with a liberal arts oriented education ever bother reading this book. As a humanities major in college, I was somewhat dissapointed with Gelb's proposal to improve and enhance the CEO's of the corporate world using Da Vinci as a "perfect model". Da Vinci never held a steady job, never finished work on time and constantly got into trouble.

Any CEO who reads this deserves to be fired if he does not already understand or hold experience with Gelb's proposed thought enhancement activities i.e. mindmapping. Gelb tells corporate bosses how to basically connect the bubbles with little words inside of them until they develop good ideas. I learned this in 7th grade, as most others have as well. One good thing about the book is the suggestion that we limit our ingestion of meat to small amounts, or be vegetarian altogether. Thats cool, but not convincing to a small minded reader.

Another problem I had with this is Gelbs advice to sit down and write 100 questions you want to know the answers to. If you have gone to college you have already answered many of those questions. Furthermore, a college education usually allows one to answer a question often before they waste the time of writing it down. If you do this exercise note Gelb's little psychologist game he includes about finding out what you really want to know. This is stupid.

The activities such as working on ones ambidexterity and drawing are pretty cool, as well as the little fact nuggets on every page corner. I just think that his objective in writing this book proves I was a sucker for buying it, and that the target customer for this book is a moron who has no right brain capabilities.


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