by
Rosemary O’Neill
Know lots of things
Intellectual curiosity is a hugely valuable asset for entrepreneurs and small business owners alike. Stoking the fires of learning should be a lifelong, never-ending quest, and the input to your brain should be much more than just a steady stream of blog posts and Pinterest photos.
Last night, I was working on the NYTimes crossword puzzle (on my iPad—Iâve finally given up my beloved paper copy) when my 8 year old son came over and asked me what I was doing.
As I was explaining how crossword puzzles work, I realized that the fundamental skill for doing a crossword is to know a little bit about a lot of things. Random opera characters, book titles, TV shows from the 50âs, words from your Barronâs vocabulary tests in 8th grade, all of these things lay the groundwork for being able to solve the puzzle.
The conversation with my son left me wondering whether, in this age of immersion in blogs, rapid-fire videos, and Tweets, we are going to lose the ability to do the New York Times crossword.
Are we going to lose our broad curiosity about things that donât relate to Facebook or smartphones? Does that also hinder our ability to patiently noodle through complex problems with multiple layers of connection?
Our challenge in 2012 is finding the long, difficult knowledge rather than the quick hit. Letâs make sure that we still listen to a full length symphony, read War and Peace, visit the Louvre. And letâs not stopping doing the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. In ink.
Thank you, Rosemary!
You’re irresistible!
ME “Liz” Strauss
