“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”~Michelangelo
I’ve always loved how art can reveal to us the magnificence of life. I love how artists can capture a moment of their thoughts and reveal so much to us – particularly what we are capable of achieving when we decide to put our whole being… heart and soul… into something that consequently taps into our greatest selves.
One of my favorite artists of all-time is Michelangelo. For many, his revolutionary work, particularly his statue of David, has never lost its powerful appeal, unwavering impact, and admiration. Even the story of how Michelangelo created David has consistently moved many into recognizing how anything can be achieved.
But what if Michelangelo’s unforgettable masterpiece defines something greater? What if the very creation of David is the epitome of how we should approach our lives?
I know, a little deep, right?
Let me give you some background to what I’m suggesting.
Lately, I’ve been focusing on the profound scarcity of time. Partly because I just celebrated a birthday where I am entering into a new decade (oh yea!)… and partly because I’m realizing all of us have no business, nor the time to be playing small… playing it safe… playing the strings of impossibility… playing repeats of not feeling *good* enough… playing episodes of imposter syndrome and in general, playing every other negativity under the sun that is preventing us from carving out the greatness within us.
We are the sculptors of our lives. Our block of stone is what makes us, us. As we go through life, it is our purpose to carve out our stone in order to reveal the “statue” inside of us – aka “our greatness.”
We are all – in complete honesty and sincerity – running out of time. Time to carve out why we are here, time to carve out our brilliance, time to carve out our insecurities, time to carve out our anxieties, time to carve out the brilliance in others, time to carve positively changing lives on this amazing planet, and time to ultimately become who we have always known we could become if we decided to *fully* live.
I mean, we only get one life. That’s it. Just one.
We only have one life to give the world everything we’ve got. Yes, we have to deal with things. Yes, life can be hard, and yes, the world can sometimes be a cold place. But the truth is, all of the experiences we go through are simply our *block of stone* to be carved.
It is our duty, right, and responsibility to not only carve out everything that is holding us back from becoming who it is that we are called to be, but also to use these carvings to reach our greatest selves, aka “our masterpiece.”
We desperately need to carve out choosing to continuously play small and to thinking, we will always have more time, because… we won’t. Time is not guaranteed to any of us. Having another day to try to *fully* live out, is not a guarantee.
That’s why we need to urgently (and I mean urgently) get going on purposefully living and carving out the beautiful person who we’ve always known and wanted ourselves to be.
Will you start carving this year?
I double dare you.
“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” ~Michelangelo