Leanardo Da Vinci is regarded as one of the greatest intellects of all time. Some estimate his IQ to be at least 220, given the awesome mental gravitas, skill and creativity he showed. But what are his secrets? And are these realistic enough to give us a unique insight into what creates genius intelligence? Below, you will find the 7 key qualities towards genius, as proposed by Da Vinci himself: 

1. You need an insatiable curiosity

Curiosity is what will allow you to become genuinely interested in your chosen topic. Without genuine interest, there will be laziness and a lack of incentive to get things going. However, when you are genuinely interested, you can spend hours doing something and not even realise how much time has gone. This quality is what seperates someone who achieves from someone who doesn't. It is the curiosity which leads to a burning desire to discover or achieve something. So always be wary of whether what you are pursuing is your genuine goal, or not. When it is genuine, it becomes easy to turn the act into a passion which takes over your life. This is the level we need to be at if we are to make all the secrets of something be revealed.

2. You must test your knowledge through experience

In other words, it is the practical application of knowledge where the power lies. Knowledge of its own has no power or usefulness whatsoever. It is only when practically applied that the true power operates through you. From this active participation, we learn the practical aspects of the knowledge which are difficult to express and describe on paper. This means that in order for the true practical aspects of the knowledge to be revealed, we must be aware of what effects and situations are being created or not created from the applied knowledge.

3. You must continually refine your senses

When you refine your senses, you understand the fundamental aspects and essence of things. This allows you to see into the true nature of things, beyond their superficial outward appearance. Also, refining the senses allows you to become alert to the important qualities of the things being perceived. This therefore means that not only do our senses need to be refined, but the interpretor behind the senses (ie you with your focus and beliefs) must continually refine their senses to perceive only those things that they believe to be truly there.

4. A willingness to embrace ambiguity

When you embrace ambigious things, you are putting your trust in the Unseen Forces which influence our lives. The truth is that there is more that we do not see and understand compared to what we do know and see. And therefore it only makes sense that we embrace the Unseen and ambiguous things which may very well lead to the advancement of our lives.

5. Develop a balance between art and science

This basically boils down to making sure there is balance in your life. When you take something to the extreme, you will experience its extreme nature so its important to embrace variety rather than monotony. This therefore implies that its important to have a variety of things with which you are interested, so as to make sure that your mind and life is both flexible, stimulated and diverse in its experiences. 

6. You must cultivate fitness and poise

The health & fitness aspects to boost mental power are one of the most overlooked variables which limit people's intelligence. It is important that you keep a super healthy body, in order to have a healthy mind. When the body is diseased, the mind also becomes diseased which means that you will experience negative thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. However, when the body is in a state of perpetual health, you will experience flow and harmony in your mind as well. A healthy body means that we should eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, staples, oily fish, lean meat etc. We should stay away as much as possible from processed foods and those with many artificial additives. The other dimension to health is to be pro-active in keeping yourself in physical shape. Going for a 15-20 minute run every 2-3 days will not only help you feel great, but it is a stepping stone to becoming great in your life.

7. You must recognize and appreciate that all phenomena are connected.