Want to make smarter decisions, be open-minded, stay grounded under pressure, and grow through life's challenges? Check out these 10 effective, expert-backed tips on how to become wiser from #1 New York Times bestselling authors James Clear, Brené Brown, and Edith Eva Eger. We've collected their most thought-provoking insights in the Headway library of book summaries for easier and faster access.
Inspired by real-life experiences and science-savvy points of view, these reading tidbits will help you recognize your own limits and gain new skills through self-learning. Their bite-sized format offers an actionable tool for the accumulation of knowledge and new ideas. Transform your curiosity into a lifelong habit that makes you a wiser person!
Quick tips on becoming wiser:
Simple daily practices that help you grow wiser and more self-aware
How to strengthen emotional intelligence through mindfulness and journaling
Ways to improve decision-making by reflecting before reacting
Practical steps to build inner confidence and stop taking things personally
Keep reading for more details and hands-on steps on cultivating wisdom in your daily life!
10 habits of a wise person to start practicing today
Having a high level of wisdom can help you think more clearly, make better decisions, and become a better person. As practice shows, you can gain wisdom and a deep mental awareness by performing intuitive daily practices. These habits will improve your overall well-being and maintain a sense of calm. Start your self-growth journey with 10 daily habits and use your own knowledge for your good.
1. Read intuitively
Intuitive readers can look for a deeper meaning behind each word. Reading between the lines can help you become more perceptive and learn different thought patterns in the book. Focus on deeper meaning, not just words. This will help you reflect on the lessons behind the story.
2. Listen to others' advice
Stubbornness is a common quality that can cause you to reject help from others to protect your sense of dignity. Similarly, hyper-independence can make you feel that you would be considered incapable or powerless by taking help from other people. However, overcoming these traits is essential to obtaining the wisdom taught by others' stories and experiences.
In her game-changing book 'The Gifts of Imperfection,' Brené Brown talks about accepting your imperfections and opening open up a door for courage, compassion, and connection:
"These three tools take practice, lots of it. To fully commit to courage, compassion, and the connection is to look at life and the people around us, and say, 'I'm all in.'"
It can be highly beneficial to listen to people with more experience than you do to gain similar expertise. Sometimes, opening yourself up to recommendations and instruction can put you in the right direction in life.
If you want to be wiser, put aside your pride and take a different approach to receive other people’s guidance. In time, you might find they were right after all — and you can thank them for their advice later.
3. Learn from your mistakes
We all make mistakes — it's a normal part of life that everyone experiences. However, the way you handle your faults and misunderstandings can be a key indicator of your inner wisdom. Unwise people continue making the same mistakes without a second thought. Wise people, on the other hand, will learn from them and strive to do better the next time.
As Jordan B. Peterson explains in '12 Rules For Life:'
"To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open."
The first step to learning from your errors is admitting when you are wrong. The second step is taking action to prevent further misunderstandings. This can be particularly difficult to achieve for people who have gone their entire lives without ever taking responsibility for their actions.
However, overcoming this hurdle will result in a more profound sense of accomplishment as you tackle areas where you have made mistakes before with a newfound sense of confidence and ease.
4. Practice mindfulness
Being mindful means taking the time to reflect on your past, current well-being, and future goals. Whether you plan to set aside time to meditate each day or would like to work mindfulness into your everyday routine, focusing on your mental state is a crucial part of expanding your wisdom.
Mindfulness can be an essential tool in helping you become aware of situations that are serving you and which are not. You can practice mindfulness in small daily segments by taking the time each morning to set an intention for the day.
This can be simple, like deciding to drink more water today. Then, before bed, reflect on the day you had, focusing on what you were grateful for and anything that could have gone better. Performing these small, simple practices each day will add up to help you find something good.
5. Write down your feelings
Although the reasoning may not be initially apparent, feelings and wisdom often go hand-in-hand. Even if you're not big on writing, journaling is a healthy way to release pent-up emotions, validate them as truth, and express things that would otherwise go unsaid.
Over time, you will begin to gain wisdom about your feelings, values, and thought processes and be able to manage them better. Writing down what you are feeling on a daily basis can help you practice healthy emotional regulation.
Dr. Edith Eva Eger, a Nazi concentration camp survivor and famous psychologist, highlights the power of emotional validation in her life-affirming book 'The Gift.' She encourages her readers to be easy on themselves and let their emotions in:
"This is how we release ourselves from the prison of avoidance — we let the feelings come. We let them move through us. And then we let them go."
In turn, you can begin to understand why you feel the way you do and become more in tune with your deepest emotions. This will result in fewer emotional outbursts and an ability to communicate better. As a result, you may find your wisdom improves, and your relationships with people around you improve and become stronger.
6. Balance self-care and helping others
Although the willingness to care for others is an exceptional quality, focusing on other people too often can cause you to pay less attention to yourself. Finding a healthy balance between meeting your needs and being selfless is important for your mental and physical health.
For example, making yourself a smoothie each morning before dropping the kids off at school is a great way to take care of your health while maintaining a sense of duty and responsibility. You can practice self-care while caring for others in little ways, such as carving out a time slot each day to do things that bring you joy.
7. Invest in personal growth
Flaws exist in almost everything — which is why it's so important to recognize them in ourselves and work on turning them into redeemable attributes. Once you begin to view your less favorable qualities as opportunities for growth, you can figure out how to improve yourself and lessen the impact those qualities have on your well-being.
Investing in your personal growth is an important way of building your inner wisdom by taking the time to understand which areas of yourself need attention. However, before you can start fixing something, you'll have to accept that it needs to be fixed initially.
For instance, if you tend to overspend while online shopping, you might focus on your financial habits and create a budget that meets your goals and needs. However, you could also deny that you have a spending problem — which is what you will need to come to terms with to become the person you want to be.
8. Think before you speak
The wisest people always think before they say anything. Doing so can help you respond more thoughtfully and appropriately in any given situation. For instance, pausing and reflecting on a question before answering may allow you to develop a mature and insightful response.
As a result, your speech will seem more coherent and appear more intelligent to others. Thinking before you speak can also significantly benefit your career and social life. When you show people that you are articulate and thoughtful with your words, they are more likely to respect your judgment and listen to what you have to say.
Not only can this help you work towards a high level of prestige in the corporate world, but it can help you cultivate healthy relationships with others that are based on mutual growth and understanding.
9. Cultivate inner awareness
Whether we realize it or not, the person we know the least about is often ourselves. Fortunately, there are ways to learn more about yourself and create a better understanding of your wants and needs. First, you'll need to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. Then, work on understanding your deepest values, passions, and aspirations by coming to terms with them and bringing them to the forefront of your life.
These self-reflective exercises are the key for building new habits and changing your life for the best. To learn more about the power of good habits, read or listen to the full summary of 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear. The book will teach you how small changes in your daily life can make a difference.
The best way to build an awareness of your inner self is by asking yourself meaningful questions. Think of questions like, "What makes me happy?" or "What do I value the most?" You can choose to meditate on the answers in your head, or you can write them down so you can return to them later.
As you do this, take deep breaths and focus on bringing your awareness to the deeper meaning behind these questions and answers. This seemingly-simple practice will help you discover your innermost desires and what brings you the most joy in life.
10. Don't take things personally
Many self-help books are geared toward helping you become less attuned to what others think of you. However, doing so is much easier said than done. You'll need to train your mind by learning how to keep your emotions in check and validate them accordingly.
One way to stop yourself from taking things too personally is to boost your confidence level. As you begin to view yourself as competent and worthy, negative perceptions of you won’t be able to change the outlook you have about yourself. Give yourself credit for your favorite qualities about yourself and all your amazing strengths.
As you change your daily habits and increase your wisdom, you will eventually realize that people’s thoughts and opinions don't matter. This mindset will allow you to find validation within yourself rather than in another person’s impression of you. In time, you will be able to deflect unflattering opinions and allow them not to affect you.
Grow wiser with Headway book summaries
Wisdom doesn’t always come from within — it often begins with the right tools. To become wiser and more self-aware, visit the Headway library. This digital collection of bite-sized book summaries makes it easy to absorb life-changing insights from bestsellers like 'Atomic Habits' by by James Clear, '12 Rules For Life' by Jordan B. Peterson, 'The Gifts of Imperfection' by Brené Brown, and more — all in just 15 minutes a day.
Whether you’re working on better decision-making, emotional control, or daily mindfulness, Headway gives you the clarity and direction to become a truly wise person and see things from a different perspective.
Download the Headway app today and pave your way to self-development with the practical knowledge from nonfiction bestsellers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be wise?
Being wise is not only about your intelligence or IQ level. In reality, your knowledge, experience, self-awareness, and empathy can help you make thoughtful decisions too. So, a wise person always stays calm during challenges and acts with integrity and long-term vision. Wisdom often brings inner peace and a stronger sense of self, allowing you to respond to life’s difficulties with clarity and confidence.
Is wise better than smart?
Being smart usually refers to knowing a lot or solving problems quickly, while being wise is about knowing when and how to use that knowledge. Wisdom involves emotional intelligence, timing, and perspective. In many situations, being wise leads to better life choices because it includes understanding others, learning from experience, and making decisions with empathy and foresight. Ideally, you want to be both, but wisdom is what helps you apply intelligence meaningfully and benefit your overall well-being.
What creates a wise person?
Wisdom is developed through a combination of self-reflection, emotional intelligence, and learning from both successes and failures. A wise person takes time to reflect on their actions, listens to feedback without defensiveness, and adapts based on experience. Openness to new perspectives, curiosity, humility, and the ability to pause before reacting are all qualities that help someone grow wiser over time.
Are wise people happier?
In many cases, yes. Wise people tend to be more emotionally balanced because they focus on what they can control and let go of what they can't. They also show acceptance, patience, and gratitude. These are key ingredients of long-term happiness. Rather than chasing perfection or approval, they find meaning in growth, connection, and inner peace, all of which contribute to a more fulfilled life.
How do I increase my wisdom?
You can increase your wisdom through consistent self-reflection, emotional regulation, and by seeking experiences that challenge and teach you. Practices like journaling, meditation, and mindfulness help develop awareness and clarity. It also helps to stay curious, ask thoughtful questions, and remain open to learning, especially from failure. Building confidence and setting healthy boundaries will help you trust your inner voice rather than relying on others' opinions.
How can books help me become wiser?
Many self-help books on personal development, philosophy, and emotional health can actually help you become wiser. They offer access to life-changing insights from some of the world's greatest thinkers. For instance, 'The Gifts of Imperfection' by Brené Brown or 'The Road to Character' by David Brooks can boost your understanding of human nature, resilience, and self-worth. If you're short on time, the Headway app offers 15-minute summaries of these bestsellers, making it easier to absorb practical wisdom and apply it to your life.
How to be wise with words?
Being wise with your words means thinking before speaking and choosing your language with purpose. Use words that build connection, not division. Speak with honesty, but also with empathy and compassion. Communicating with clarity and intention not only makes you more effective. It also earns you respect and deepens your relationships.
