Daily Leadership Thought #102 – Broaden Your Horizons and Seek Diverse Experiences

Broaden your horizons, and your life will be full of possibility!

As we age, we must be careful of becoming too narrow-minded and unwilling to challenge ourselves and our thinking. Instead of relying solely on what you already know and operating within a comfort zone, it’s crucial to broaden your horizons and seek diverse experiences. Most of the great thinkers and leaders we study or try to emulate were “Renaissance Men (or Women).” They were multidimensional with many interests and talents. They were able to view situations from many different angles. 

Teddy Roosevelt spoke seven languages fluently, had a deep interest in and an abiding sense of history, and was a voracious reader, an avid outdoorsman, a committed conservationist, and a successful military leader. His professional resume before becoming president was quite fascinating. Ben Franklin was an extraordinarily successful businessperson, author, inventor, and diplomat.

You get the sense that these men and others like them knew that our time here on earth was limited, and it’s important to get as much out of it as you can. There are unlimited opportunities for growth, development, and experiencing new things. The only real boundaries we have in terms of knowledge and experience are self-imposed. Think about what Abraham Lincoln accomplished with only one year of formal schooling. If you continually broaden your horizons and vary your interests, you increase your capacity to stay vital and manage the inevitable complexity that will confront you in life. You will also enhance your ability to adapt to changing circumstances and make more informed decisions.