6 Ways to Become a Wiser Person

When we are young, we are trained to pursue knowledge.  So, we go to school and learn facts.  We then are tested on whether we can remember those facts.  And if we have good memories, we’re rewarded with good grades!  But as we get older, it becomes clear that having factual knowledge isn’t what truly matters.  Rather, we need to become wiser.

Now, often we associate wisdom with age.  However, wisdom doesn’t depend on how many years you’ve been alive.  After all, there are lots of emotionally immature, unwise people in their 50s and beyond populating the earth.  Rather, wisdom comes from having a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.

In fact, I happen to know wise people in all age groups!  For example, my daughter is in her 20s, so she doesn’t have much life experience under her belt yet.  Nevertheless, I find her to be a wise person.  That’s because she has a clear mind and is a critical thinker.  Moreover, she has an abundance of empathy and compassion for others.  She and I talk a lot about personal ethics and what it means to live a good life.

At the other end of the spectrum, I have a friend who is in his 50s.  He has quite a bit more life experience than my daughter!  My friend is an introspective person, and he spends a lot of time thinking about bigger, existential issues.  If I go to him with a concern, he inevitably will come back to me with an answer that is both wise and compassionate. 

The good news is that there are certain approaches that you can take in life to become a wiser person.  Read about those approaches below, incorporate them into your life, and become a truly wise person!

Cultivate A Thirst for Knowledge

Wise people tend to be well-read and have varied interests.  They are intellectually curious people.  So, if you want to be wise, you too need to become a curious person.  You need to develop a desire to know things.   

Realize that your own life experience is very limited.  Your personal experiences simply don’t provide you with enough information to really understand the world and people.  To have a fuller understanding of the world and humanity, you have to meet new people and learn about the world, beyond your little part of it.

Now, admittedly we can’t fully experience every last part of the world.  Most of us don’t have the time or the financial resources to travel the world in such a manner.  But the good news is that reading allows us to experience the world vicariously through others.

For instance, I can read a book about the history of Mexico and have a better understanding of how that part of the world thinks and operates.  Or, I can read about the life of Malala and understand what it was like to grow up in Pakistan and face the Pakistani Taliban. 

These days, I carry with me a “bag of books” during the day. My bag contains books about writing, religion, personal development and philosophy. I even have a fiction book in there! And anytime I need a break, I grab one of those books and read a couple of pages. My goal is to read as much as possible, so that I can have a more sophisticated view of the world. If you are seeking to become wiser, I would encourage you to create your own bag of books!

Realize that the more we learn about the world, the wiser we become.  That’s because our learning deepens our understanding of the world and humanity. 

Practice Self-Reflection

You cannot become wise unless you engage in self-reflection.  Unfortunately, most people shy away from self-reflection.  That’s because it’s uncomfortable! Self-reflection doesn’t just require us to consider our successes.  It also requires us to look at where we’ve failed or made bad choices.  And if you’re insecure, that’s hard to do.

Admittedly, it takes confidence to reflect back on your life and acknowledge where you’ve erred.  But to become a wise person, you have to accept that at times you’ve erred, and then, you need to figure out why you erred. 

Even though it’s uncomfortable, I try to make self-reflection a habit.  So, if I make a mistake, I’ll consider why I did so.  Or, I’ll talk to a friend to figure out what caused me to err.  After all, my goal is not to make the same mistake twice!

Sadly, many people’s egos are too fragile to engage in that level of self-analysis.  So, they resist taking responsibility for their lives.  Instead, they go through life blaming others for their mistakes and bad behavior.  And they continue to make the same mistakes, over and over.

Of course, there is no law requiring you to engage in self-reflection!  You can putter along taking no personal responsibility for the state of your life.  But you won’t become a wise person that way. 

Instead, if you want to become a wise person, engage in self-reflection.  Figure out why you’ve excelled in certain areas of life and why you’ve made mistakes.  And then use that knowledge to develop a more sophisticated understanding of yourself.  Only then can you improve and become a wiser person.

Seek Out Diverse Perspectives

As human beings, we tend to seek out people who are like us.  We want to be around people who look like us and think like us.  Why?  Well, it makes life a lot easier!  After all, if you and I have the same perspective on life, it’s much easier for us to understand each other.

But if you want to be a wise person, you have to learn to question how you view the world.  You need to question your assumptions about people and how the world works.  And the best way to do that is to listen to people who have different backgrounds, experiences, and points of view from you.

For instance, I grew up going to church.  As a result, I have an understanding of the Christian faith and how Christians see the world.  But over the years, I’ve made it a point to learn about other religious faiths, either through reading or talking to people of other faiths.  That is because I don’t want to go through life having false assumptions about other people based on their religious beliefs. By learning about other religions, I now have a better understanding of people who aren’t exactly like me!

We all can have assumptions about the world and other people.  But wise people question their assumptions.  They seek out different points of view.  And in doing so, they develop a more nuanced and wiser view of the world and of complex issues. 

Be Humble

One of the biggest impediments to wisdom is arrogance.  As soon as we think that we are better or smarter than other people, we lose the ability to learn.  Realize that every person who you encounter has the ability to teach you something.  Even the animals who roam our earth can teach you something.

The reality is that our understanding of the world is incredibly small.  What each of us knows is miniscule compared to the vast world that we live in.  And if you go through life with a swelled head, thinking that you’re awesome and know everything, you won’t be open to learning from others.

I make it a rule to be a sponge and try to learn from every person I encounter.  My goal when chatting with anyone I meet, whether it be during my daily routine or traveling, is to learn a little bit about that person and what they know.  I constantly learn new things just by having simple conversations with other people. 

When we are humble, we simply acknowledge that while we may know some things, we certainly don’t know everything!  And it’s from that perspective that we are able to learn from others and become wiser in our views of the world.

Practice Critical Thinking

In today’s world, one of the most important ways to become wiser is to develop the skill of critical thinking.  That’s because our main source of information these days is the Internet.  And sadly, the Internet has a lot of false garbage on it.  So, it’s more important than ever to be able to discern what is nonsense versus what is factual.

In fact, you should question everything that you read, whether it is on the Internet or in a book or the newspaper.  Ask yourself, “Does that make sense?  Could there be more to the story than what I am reading?” 

The problem is that our news these days is not factual.  Rather, our news is a means by which people give you their opinion.  The news casters effectively say to us, “I’m going to tell you roughly what happened.  But I’m going tell you how to understand what happened from a particular political or ethical slant.”  To be clear, that isn’t the proper delivery of the news.

So, if you want to be a wise person, you can’t take what you read on the Internet or hear on the television at face value.  You have to question it.  If a news story interests you, delve deeper and really understand what happened.  Wisdom comes from understanding the world as it really is.

Practice Empathy

You will find that all wise people possess one very important skill: Empathy. Unfortunately, many folks struggle with empathy. They struggle to understand or even care about the feelings of others. Instead, they only are concerned with their own needs and desires.

The problem is that if you lack empathy, you won’t be able to operate wisely in life.  Instead, you’ll go through life solely concerned about Me, Myself and I. The happiness and contentment of others simply won’t be on your radar.

Wisdom requires you to be able to see the world through the eyes of other people.  People who are truly wise actually care about the feelings, needs and desires of others!  So, their goal is to have the most positive effect on other people.  As a result, they always make decisions which take into account the needs of others. 

In fact, wise people have what I would refer to as a “360-degree view of the world.”  In everything that they do, they are assessing their own needs, feelings and wants, and at the same time, they also are caring about the needs, feelings and wants of those around them.  Unfortunately, many people are unable to do that, and as a result, wisdom eludes them.

If you are seeking to be a wise person, consider the approaches above.  Remember that wisdom is not just about accumulating knowledge.  Rather it is about using that knowledge and your observations of the world to make better, more compassionate decisions, and ultimately, to live a more fulfilling life. (To read about the 5 things that you need to get rid of to be happier, click here.)