Category Archives: How To/Advice

What Distinguishes a Good Work of Art from a Work of Genius?

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A good work of art, even a great one, speaks to people of a certain time.

However, a work of genius transcends temporal bounds. It is continuously rediscovered anew by successive generations. In other words, a work of genius isn’t static. It bends (and is bent by) each new audience that encounters it.

For example, the art of the Greeks and the Egyptians, is not art of the past. One could even argue that it is more alive today than ever before. As Pablo Picasso once said, “There is no past or future in art. If a work of art cannot live always in the present, it must not be considered art at all.”

Works of genius live in the now.

Embrace your Limitations

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“Art always consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame.” G.K. Chesterton.

framed art

Embrace your limitations.

Feed Yourself Well

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Old-Faithful-geyser

“If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines and music, you will automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry period in my life because I feed myself well.” – Ray Bradbury

Always Do Your Best

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It’s a guiding life principle with which we’re all familiar: Always do your best.

Of course, your best is a fluid concept. It will be different, for example, after a sleepless night than when you wake up refreshed and energized. The idea is to do your best every day, no matter the quality of it.

But this seems a somewhat daunting task, doesn’t it? I mean, to always do your best feels like an awful lot of pressure.

What if we starting looking at our life through the lens of moments, rather than days?

In this case, we need only do our best in this very moment. Now that doesn’t seem too hard, does it?

If we can commit to doing our best in this moment, that act alone will inherently put us in the best place for the next moment. And on it goes…

Four Agreements to Make With Yourself Today That Will Instantly Change Your Life

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four agreementsDo you consider yourself to be open-minded? Are you willing to shatter personal illusions in pursuit of personal freedom? If you haven’t had a chance to read Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements, I highly recommend it. It’s a quick read but packs a powerful punch. In fact, I read the whole thing while sitting at an AutoZone one day waiting for my tire to be fixed.

Don Miguel Ruiz is a shaman of the Toltec tradition. More a way of life than a religion, Toltec wisdom embraces the spirit and arises from the same essential unity of Truth as other sacred traditions. The simple yet profound agreements about which Ruiz writes are summarized below.

If you can take five minutes out of your day to read through these points, you’ll quickly be on your way to experiencing personal freedom like never before. Write them down, share them with friends, or put them on your refrigerator. Do whatever you can to embrace and live by these four agreements and I can assure you that your life will be infinitely better for it.

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word. As human beings, the word is the most powerful tool that we have, and the tongue our most powerful weapon. Words are things. They get on your walls, your upholstery, your clothes, and finally into you. Our word contains all of our creative power. Through our word, we think, express, communicate, and ultimately act, thereby creating the events of our lives. With such power at our disposal, we really ought to be more intentional with our word (even impeccable, as Ruiz suggests). What does it mean to be impeccable with your word? Speak with integrity and say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or others. Instead, direct the power of your word towards Truth and love. Truth is the most important part of being impeccable with your word. And impeccability of the word is the starting point on the pathway to personal freedom.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally. Your point of view is personal to you. It’s your version of the truth. In the same vain, what others say and do is a projection of their own reality. In other words, nothing other people say or do is because of you. If you can internalize this idea, you will become immune to the opinions and actions of others. When we begin to really see other people as they are, without taking it personally, we protect ourselves from needless suffering. We’re no longer hurt by what they say or do because we know it’s in no way related to us. Remember, we’re not responsible for other people’s decisions. We’re only responsible for our own. When we truly grasp this, it’s like a weight has been lifted and in its place is a deep, profound sense of inner peace.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions. Ask. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. All too often we make assumptions by our own accord and wrongfully believe them to be true. When the truth finally comes out, we realize that it was not at all what we thought. Find the courage to ask questions. Perhaps you need to gather more facts about a particular situation. Real love is accepting other people the way they are without trying to change them. If you don’t understand, ask for an explanation. How much sadness and drama could be avoided if we simply practiced communicating with others as clearly as possible without making assumptions?

4. Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment. It will be different when you’re healthy as opposed to sick. When you wake up refreshed and energized in the morning, your best will be better than when you are tired after a sleepless night. Under any circumstance and regardless of the quality, simply keep doing your best. By committing to this, you avoid the self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret that come from doing anything less.

Interpersonal Issues

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relationship issues
It’s easy when we’re having interpersonal problems (and how often are our problems not interpersonal?!) to look for someone to blame.

Sometimes we blame ourselves and nearly drown in guilt that may or may not be warranted. Sometimes we blame the other person, searching for flaws, being quick to point out what we find, and often creating an even bigger issue than the original one.

But what if we took a new approach to our many interpersonal issues? What if we stopped brooding over them and instead began to praise God for them?

Interpersonal issues reveal our weak spots, as well as our strengths. They present an opportunity to pause in awe of the delicate patterns which God has woven into our very existence. They ask us to look with wonder at the detail with which each person is carefully crafted; differences, imperfections, all of it.

Rather than trying to “fix” each other, we can instead marvel at just how complicated a species we are, and praise God because He is good and gives us grace.

A New Approach to Valentine’s Day

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lonely

For many people, Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of expectations and pressure. For others, it’s a dreaded day where we try to distract ourselves from the pervading sense of loneliness.

All in all, Valentine’s Day doesn’t seem to be working well. So why don’t we try a new approach to this national holiday?

Instead of worrying about who will shower us with love, what gifts we’ll give, and what we’ll receive, let’s love people where they are. Let’s love the people who are around us, whoever they may be and no matter our relationship to them. Even if the only person we see all day is a gas station attendant, let’s love that person.

One of my favorite passages from Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz explains why loving people where they are is so crucial.

“…to be in a relationship with God is to be loved purely and furiously. So a person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can’t accept who God is- a Being that is Love. We learn that we are lovable or unlovable from other people…that is why God tells us so many times to love each other.” – Donald Miller

Spread love.

Passion is Our Purpose

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passion
“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather He will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?”
― Mother Teresa

This is one of my absolute favorite quotes from Mother Teresa. It reminds me of Howard Thurman when he wrote, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

The message in both is plain and clear. Passion is our purpose. Figure out what you love and do it as often as you can. Then share it with as many people as you can. So that they may be inspired to find and follow their own passion.

Spread the love.

Why You Shouldn’t Lose Yourself in a Relationship

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losing Yourself
What’s up with this idea of losing yourself in a relationship somehow being romantic?

We hear it in song lyrics, see it on television shows, and even read about it in magazines and on dating websites. For some reason, the idea is romanticized, but this really bothers me.

I mean, I understand how it happens… You get so comfortable with another person, feel so safe with them, it can be consuming. I get it.

Sometimes, even, we can become so concerned with the other person that we forget about ourselves. And as a result, we stop voicing our opinions, become excessively agreeable, and ultimately, as a person, we disappear.

But that’s not romantic. That’s lazy.

We have to keep in mind that our partner initially chose us because of who we are, what we bring to the table, and how we add to the relationship/his or her life.

The bottom line is that a relationship takes two people and if we don’t show up, we’re undermining the very purpose of it.

A Whole New World

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What if we began to look at the world around us with the eyes of a child? Bright, curious, and wide open with wonder.

child eyes

Would the world we see be different? Would we?

I recently decided to carry out an experiment of my own by observing normal every day objects, with the sense of raw wonder at which children are best.

You can read my observations below. However, I can tell you that what I learned, at the very least, is that approaching the world with awe leads to greater appreciation for your surroundings. And we know from science that greater appreciation directly and positively correlates with a happier life, and improves over-all well being.

The point is, with gratitude comes deep joy. When we begin to look for the beauty and creativity in normal every day objects that we would otherwise over look, it becomes evident that opportunities for joy and inspiration exist all around us. And what we look for, we find.

Tree:

red tree

It’s fall here and tomorrow it will be winter. The leaves have turned a deep red. As if they’re bleeding over the loss of one season while simultaneously preparing for the next. There is always opportunity in loss. And this tree knows. Despite the changes, it stands tall and firm. Steady and unshaken. It trusts, in itself and the world, that there is more to come. That its story is not yet finished.

Rock:

rock

Perhaps it has always been right here. Its position unobstructed by changing surroundings. Unnaturally white and large for its atmosphere, it basks in the sunlight and waits. It glimmers in hopes of catching the eyes of those passing by, as if it’s trying to give us a gift. Oh the stories this rock has to tell, if only it could speak. Perhaps it was brought here by man. No doubt perplexed by the reason for its relocation, but nevertheless accepting of its new role. People step on it, creatures use it for shelter, and some days it isn’t used at all. But it’s still there. It’s confident enough to just be.

Flower:

flower

Or how about this flower. It doesn’t care that I don’t know its proper name. It doesn’t even mind that it stands virtually alone. One of the few plants in the area blooming as others die off. It happily continues to grow, so it won’t be like the rest. As long as it’s growing, it’s alive. And this flower most certainly enjoys being alive. As I watch, the wind grows stronger and the flower begins to sway. The two appear to be working together. The wind makes music so the flower can dance. It doesn’t seem to mind that it has no audience. It dances anyway. A carefree flower, no doubt.

I hope that these observations have inspired you to approach the world with a new pair of eyes. Or rather, to see the world with your own eyes, as they once were when you were a child. Doing so truly does open us up to a whole new world.