"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it" ~ Michelangelo
Quite often we sell our selves short and settle for less the we are capable of doing. That is a very real danger for all of us. Not just as the person setting our own goals, but also as the parent or friend that must encourage others. We can fear failure so much that we don't even try, and fear failure so much for others that we allow them to be mediocre, lazy or just do the work for them. Both are dangerous and both yield the same pattern of behavior and a sense of entitlement.
Have you ever really read the parable of the talents? I often hear it quoted or referred to, but I read it once when I was a youth leader and it opened an even greater desire in me to do more then just exist, keep a day job, and behave my self. The concept of striving to improve myself and add to my own talents really started to take hold of me then. I think it was at that point that I realized that if I wanted to make anything happen, I need to take the reigns of my life and quit blaming others or my circumstances for not achieving more. In the parable, those or worked to gain more talents were blessed with more yet. And those who simply buried their talents for fear of loosing them, lost their talents. I was not going to hide behind my day job or, my busy schedule anymore ... I wanted to learn and grow, and that meant I needed to put forth effort.
Speaking of effort and life long learning, who would know that better then Michelangelo? With so many inventions over the course of his life you can see how he was the ultimate Tinker. Always experimenting with this thing or that concept. Plus he was a great artist! Painting, sculpture, writing... always moving on to the next thing. He was not some random hit and miss artist that stumbled onto a single image that made him famous, he was the prime example of working hard at each thing he did. Starting from scratch, sketching the concept, then expanding on the idea. Moving on to models and prototyping and then on to refining the image or device in question and then testing it over and over. Wow if we learned and worked as he did, we would never be inclined to sit and hide who we were. We would be out trying something new everyday and building on what we had learned. We would be gaining new skills and testing new ideas. Wouldn't that be great?!
And there in lies the challenge for today... Lets go learn something new, expand what we have learned so far, and inspire each other! Let's help one another shoot for the stars, and build what we have always dreamed of. We can do this, you especially... you have the power inside to make a wonderful ripple in the pod of life and each day increase your influence. I believe in you... and so does Michelangelo ;-)
Have a great day folks!~ Lost sends...
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