We’ve been duped, lied to, hoodwinked!  It’s a common maxim that we all have uttered a time or two and for a good part of my life, I was of the belief that great minds think alike.  This scenario may be familiar: You’re with your colleagues and you both come up with the similar ideas at the same time.  Unquestionably, you say “Great minds think alike!” Better yet, maybe you thought of an idea, and someone mentioned to you that the same idea had been thought up before by another person.  You might say “Great minds think alike!”

Well, great minds do not think alike.  As a matter of fact, having a great mind in itself infers that once must think differently.  All the great minds like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla excelled because of their ability to think like no other man or woman could do in their fields. Their amazing gifts beg the question of how.  How did they do it, how did they develop these great minds?  Were they just all geniuses? Possibly…I believe there are natural God-given gifts but there are skills that are learned to help cultivate a great mind.

For one, great minds practice their craft then practice some more.  When I was younger, my family used to have what we called prayer time.  A time in the evening when the whole family got together, read a chapter in the bible, discussed the meaning and relevance of the chapter, and then finally closed with a prayer.  Each family member was asked to provide their perspective on the meaning behind the words in that chapter. My dad added a small caveat, no one could repeat the same answer that the previous person gave.  As a teenager, I dreaded this experience in the beginning.  I’m sure my siblings felt the same way.  To complicate things further, we read out of the King James Version of the bible, for those who are familiar with the variation in bible versions, the King James version is the bible with old English that reads as if Shakespeare wrote it himself.  As tough as it was, we had to make sense of what was being read and then quickly interpret the information before we were selected to speak.  I realized later on in life that I was training my brain to think differently.  Doing this repeatedly, I found myself able to process information quickly and with value-added responses, a skill that helps me even today.  It’s easy to go around the room and repeat the same thing over and over but great-minded people are those who are able to bring a new perspective to the same chapter.

Great minds surround themselves with great people.  Nikola Tesla, was an inventor best known for his design of the alternating current electricity supply system.  Most people don’t know that when he moved to New York City, it was to work for Thomas Edison, the inventor of the long-lasting light bulb.  It was while working with the Edison Company that Tesla developed the ability to solve complex problems.  Eventually he would leave Edison’s company to start his own electric company.  He would go on to create an induction motor that created the building block for the electric car.  The founders of Tesla Motors named their company in honor of Nikola Tesla for his vision and brilliance.  It all started with his connection to Edison, and it ended with a pioneer who filed over 700 patents in his lifetime.  Nikola Tesla could have limited himself to thinking exactly like Thomas Edison, then we would have never known his own greatness. He also managed to connect with Albert Einstein. He definitely understood the power connecting to great minds.

Great minds put themselves in an environment that fosters greatness.  How do you foster greatness? First, stay focused on the goal regardless of the situation.  At age 16, Albert Einstein failed the general part of an exam that would have gotten him into one of the top rated universities of the world.  This was part of an aspiration for him that did not materialize.  Nevertheless he pushed forward, eventually enrolling in the four-year mathematics and physics program at Zürich Polytechnic in Switzerland.  His work in academia would eventually earn him the Nobel Prize in Physics for his service in Theoretical Physics.  Despite the failure that may have seemed daunting at the time, he persisted.  It didn’t matter that he didn’t go to the best university, he was going to make himself great wherever he went.  His environment gave him the perspective he needed to make the leap to greatness.  At times, great minds may also remove themselves from environments in order to make that leap.  Free yourself from distractions or temptations and your environment will be well marinated for greatness.

So, now it’s time to challenge yourself. Do you think that you possess the mind of a great person?  If not, that’s ok.  But are you aspiring towards it?  Are you training your brain to solve complex problems, are your friends or peers great-minded people that will help you reach your goals, do you feel as if your environment fosters greatness?  Einstein, Edison, and Tesla all came from different backgrounds and upbringings.  They all rose to greatness by different means.  They all thought differently and used their minds to achieve greatness.  It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.  The bible tells us to not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).  In the last part of this verse, the renewing of our minds is the key to a clear mindset.  When you renew your mind on a daily basis, you’re able to refocus on what is important.  A favorite quote of mine goes as follows: “Great Minds talk about Ideas, Average Minds talk about events, Simple Minds talk about people.” Make sure your talk sets you apart as one of the great ones.