Understand that wisdom is a skill that can be developed by anyone, provided they have the motivation and discipline to practice its components regularly.
Make mental well-being and happiness the ultimate goals in all your endeavors, as they correlate strongly with overall life satisfaction, regardless of physical health or disability.
Engage in regular meditation, as scientific studies indicate it can lead to beneficial changes in brain function and structure, including improved white matter integrity and increased volume in certain brain parts.
Dedicate a specific time, such as half an hour several times a week, to sit alone and reflect on recent events that caused happiness or distress, helping to identify patterns and understand your own behavior.
If writing is difficult, engage in self-reflection by sharing your thoughts with a trusted and respected individual, such as a spouse, therapist, or close friend, ensuring comfort and honesty.
Before bed each night, write down a few things you are grateful for, and eventually include actions you took that made others happy, to cultivate compassion and make gratitude a second nature.
When you make a mistake or feel distressed, treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding you would offer a close friend, recognizing common humanity and allowing yourself to move on.
To improve emotional regulation, challenge the assumption that others have bad intentions; instead, reimagine alternative, less hostile motivations for their actions to reduce anger and emotional extremes.
When faced with frustrating situations, use strategies like rationalizing others’ behavior, distracting yourself (e.g., with music), or recalling past similar events that ultimately had no negative impact, to manage your emotions.
Actively engage with people different from yourself, visit new places, or try new activities to challenge yourself, learn, and foster neuroplasticity in your brain.
Ensure continuous brain development and neuroplasticity throughout life by remaining active physically, cognitively (e.g., learning new things), and socially (e.g., interacting with diverse people).
Combat loneliness and foster social support by volunteering, especially in intergenerational activities, as it connects you with others and enhances your own well-being and biology.
Take a wisdom scale test, such as the San Diego Wisdom Scale, to identify your personal strengths and limitations across the different components of wisdom, guiding your development efforts.
Support and advocate for educational systems, from kindergarten through higher education, to prioritize teaching and rewarding ‘soft skills’ like empathy, compassion, and emotional regulation, rather than just hard skills, to foster societal wisdom and happiness.
Download the 10% Happier app (available on iOS and Android) and subscribe to listen to podcast episodes without ads, allowing for uninterrupted focus on the content.