10

Sherlock Holmes

Life Lessons

The  lessons he learned evolving from manhood into the great detective

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve difficult cases.

Of course, he is known for his power of deduction, and a number of quirks that seem to come with the territory, like drug binges and indoor target practice. But it is the congregation of his other qualities with his talent that make him successful. As any professional knows, you cannot just rely on talent to make your way in the world. Here are his 10 life lessons we must learn :

Lesson 1 : Details matterWhatever incarnation Sherlock Holmes appears in, his best quality is his exacting eye for detail. Nothing gets past him. He can often tell, the moment a person walks into a room, where they have been, what they have been doing, and at least some partial knowledge about their history or their habits, simply by observing them.

If you pay as much attention to detail in your work as Holmes does, you will find that little will get past you. It takes time to acquire the patience and the eye for this kind of deductive reasoning, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. Not only will it be worth the effort, but it will certainly benefit you by making your job easier in the long run.

Lesson 2 : Get acquainted with all fields of knowledgeHolmes knew what facts were relevant and also knew where to go in order to get them. By consulting some reference works he was able to get all the facts necessary and was then able to apply his skills of deductive reasoning and form an opinion about the case.

Get acquainted with all fields of knowledge that have a bearing on your profession. You do not need to have all the facts at your finger tips but you need to know where to go in order to find them.

Lesson 3 : I never guessThese three words serve as a dynamic "mission statement" for the detective. Consider the next time you hear people preface their statements of "fact" with the words "I think ..." or "I suppose that ..." or "I believe ...". Each of these phrases is an admission of guilt: The speaker is guessing, assuming, leaping ahead of factual information and drawing inferences without providing evidence. 

"I never guess. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." 

Lesson 4 : Look for a possible alternative and provide against it It is more important to consider

provisional solutions -- and to back up your evidence for your foremost hypothesis. The way out of the maze lies in knowing that, before attempting to formulate hypotheses, it's wise to make one's self aware of the potential existence of multiple hypotheses, so that one eventually may choose one that fits most or all of the facts as they become known. 

“One should set aside any and all prejudices when considering facts.” - Sherlock Holmes

Lesson 5 : There is more than one way to approach a problemSherlock Holmes uses many problem solving approaches. Sometimes he goes out in disguise and asks the right questions. Other times, he sits up all night smoking a pipe and thinking about it. At yet other times, he uses clever deception to draw the players into the game. If one approach fails, Holmes wouldn’t stop there. He would try something else.

I’m not suggesting indoor target practice, but if shooting a gun helps you free your mind, more power to you. I hope you use a proper shooting range, however. And if that doesn’t work, try a different approach. There is always more than one.

Lesson 6 : Some mysteries are never solvedFor Holmes, this is not a bad thing. It doesn’t bother him that he can’t find the answer to everything. Instead, he finds it fascinating and files the information away for future use. If every case were so neatly resolved, he would probably lose interest, being prone to boredom as he is without a puzzle at hand. The infinite nature of the puzzle keeps the fun alive in his work.

That’s how it should be in your work, too. It should be a puzzle to solve, a question to answer. It should fire your brain to find new, creative solutions for your problem. If your work doesn’t interest you like that, you’re either in the wrong field or you’re not being challenged enough.

Lesson 7 : Free yourself of your habits of over-thinkingBe aware of your feelings and emotions and get some measure of detachment from them. Learning to think straight is really quite simple. It is not easy but it is simple. It is the getting to know yourself, mastering yourself and stopping yourself from repeating old mistakes and old habits of thought and feeling that is difficult.

It is the getting to know yourself, mastering yourself and stopping yourself from repeating old mistakes and old habits of thought and feeling that is difficult.

Lesson 8 : Your reputation precedes youHolmes gets many cases by actively pursuing them. It is his passion. However, people also come to Holmes with their problems for the sole reason that they heard he was the man for the job. It is the same way whatever field you are in. Letters of recommendation are requested for new hires in many jobs because they are certified reports of a persons character and ability.

Whatever you do, your work reverberates into the future. Whether you do good work or bad work, people will hear about it. If you do bad work employers and clients will avoid you. If you do good work, they will come looking for you.

Lesson 9 : Partners are indispensableAs we all know, Watson is Holmes’s partner, his assistant and follower. He is also the audience and narrator of Sherlock Holmes’s most unique adventures. Even the brilliant Holmes likes to have someone to bounce ideas off of, and Watson’s mere presence is sometimes more useful than any other tool at his disposal.

Whatever you do, it’s good to have a partner in crime (or crime solving), or at least someone to talk to. Whether your partner is actively involved in your case or simply pointing you in the right direction, or even just nodding and listening while you voice your thoughts or vent your frustrations, in the end you will benefit from this collaboration.

Lesson 10 : Expose yourself to some good influences

Find yourself a role model whom you like and whom you would like to be like. And you have the Sherlock Holmes books in front of you. Read them repeatedly and expose yourself to a mastermind at work and at play and in his day to day life.

Once you are free somewhat of your conditioning and have also been exposed to Sherlock Holmes repeatedly you will find it extremely simple to imitate his example. Anyone can imitate. And if you have imbibed Holmes enough it will flow from inside you quite easily and naturally.

There are many lessons you can learn from Sherlock Holmes that will help you in your work and in your life. These are just a few of them. But whatever other talents Sherlock has, know that it is his passion for his work that drives him to be the best consulting detective there is. If you can muster a similar passion for your work, there is little holding you back from success.

Thank You Very MuchSompong Yusoontorn

“To a great mind nothing is little.”- Sherlock Holmes