Who else could have painted them?
The following story is told in the book Art and Fear by Ted Orland and David Bayles
Recently a painter of some accomplishment (but as insecure as the rest of us) was discussing his prevoius night’s dream with a friend over coffee. It ewas one of those vivid technicolour dreams, the kind that linger on in exact detail even after waking. In his dream he found himself at an art gallery, and when he walked inside and looked around he found the walls hung with paintings – amazing paintings, paintings of passionate intensity and haunting beauty. Recounting his dream, the artist ended fervently with, “I’d give anything to be able to make paintings like that!”
“Wait a minute!” his friend exclaimed. “Don’t you see? Those WERE your paintings! They came from your own mind. Who else could have painted them?”
Never, my friends, fail to appreciate what you desire out in the world which has simply been living inside you all this time.
All you need is to give yourself permission to think differently.
Remember the thousand doors system – this relates to your thinking, the internal world in your mind.
Where do we search for greatness?
We are used to looking outward for inspiration, for greatness and even our identity. But perhaps the external world is not where we look for these things, perhaps the external world is where we create these things.
Perhaps we should spend more time looking inside. Perhaps we should spend more time thoroughly examining what we already have instead of what we think we lack.
The best way to get new customers is to look after your existing customers well enough that they become your sales force. And, as Michelangelo said,
Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
Maybe instead of trying to find more stone…
We misunderstand our task. Maybe our real task is getting better at seeing the statue inside the stone we have.
For to want ‘more’ of something means we already have ‘some’ of it. So as I have asked before, why isn’t ‘some’ enough?
Who do you think of when you read this? Would this ‘Open a door’ for someone you know? Share it with them, generously and creatively.
