“The greatest artist has no conception which a single block of white marble does not potentially contain within its mass, but only a hand obedient to the mind can penetrate to this image. “

Michelangelo 

A quaint town hidden away in Northern Italy became the unexpected birthplace for one of the greatest statues every created. Carrera is world-renowned for luxurious marble quarries, boasting an impressive list of clients, from The Pantheon to Harvard Medical School.  One particularly tattered piece of Carrara marble collided paths with Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo.

The imposing block was rejected by two master artists, abandoned in unruly church backyard and weathered away by a 25 years of neglect. Yet in the hands of Michelangelo, the flawed marble unveiled a globally celebrated statue, The David.

The question is, “How did Michelangelo do what two master Renaissance sculptors could not do before him?”

Simple Answer: A different perspective!

            Michelangelo had an artistic perspective that can be adopted and applied to create massive personal success.(Note: The perspective will also help “Ze World”!) Use the following steps to learn, adopt, and leverage Michelangelo’s perspective to unveil your own collection of masterpieces.

STEP #1: See your limitless possibilities

Art has a lasting contribution. It leaves a legacy. It cannot be replaced, since it is one of a kind. This is drastically unconventional. The Modern society cookie-cutter idea is in danger, when you refuse to be a cog in the antiquated status-quo machine. You instantly become and outlier, when you make a contribution and by-pass the idea of dollars-for-hours model of work.

You look beyond your limitations. Since, there are no limits to the possibilities of your art. You perceive your own life, the way Michelangelo’s viewed the imperfect Carrara marble; a masterpiece waiting to be unveiled, instead of a weathered block of marble.

Yes, you’ve gone through adversity and you have been weathered. Yes, you are flawed (if your perfect, please send me an email at mustafawahid@yahoo.com I would love to shake your hand). Life was more a box of nails, than a box of chocolates. The flaws and weathering process were necessary. The flaws created your signature for your masterpiece.

You are ready to unveil your masterpiece, now! Break out of the stone shell. Focus intently on the outstanding vision deep within you.  Since “The greatest artist has no conception which a single block of white marble does not potentially contain within its mass.” And Now that you are an artist, You can be anything you want to. Now your saying “Mustafa, that is motivational and all, but how the hell do unveil my masterpiece? “

            Easily young grasshopper, Follow step 2…

STEP #2: See yourself as a creator!

You are the artist of your own life. Your personal life is your marble block. The capacity to sculpt your life is in your hands.  Take responsibility for your actions and for your life. Procrastination is placing life outside of your hands; waiting for the opportune time for the stars to align. The stars will not align while you are waiting. Since you are waiting, you cannot see the once-in-a-lifetime alignment that just passed by. Life is to be experienced. Quietly observing or even vocally dissenting without application is a waste of your own time and potential.

An amazing way to begin seeing yourself as a creator is to mold your mind through new habits. Your mind is a giant ball of clay; as supported through research studies on neural plasticity. You can literally reshape your brain through habits. By following the simple basic procedure.

First,Pick one habit that you want to have by the end of the month! For example, exercising 3 days a week. Give yourself a trigger for the process! My trigger when I wanted 6 pack abs, every time I saw 5:30 AM I conditioned myself to wake up and workout.

Second, give yourself a treat. Yes, you are dog training yourself; however in this case you are Pavlov. Therefore, you hold your own leash! Write down the rewards you get from doing this goal. For me after I exercised, I told my friends that we are going to have a pool party. (BTW, It is totally okay with being narcissistic and wanting something for yourself). I showed off my abs like none other. I got compliments and I enjoyed it.

Third , Standardize! Be afraid; be very afraid, of an excess of options! Do not have 1,000,671 options for workout programs. Since they all work! Ask yourself, “which workout program can I sustain?” Also ask yourself, what outcome do I want? Be specific. The point of the specificity is simple. You’re an artist now; you must fill in the fine details, to paint the picture for others to gawk at.

Make sure to focus on the sustainability of the habit! If you can’t do, 50 reps of 450 on a leg-press five days a week, don’t do it ! Instead create/ find a program that is challenging however can work with you. The benefits of standardization are you stop thinking about what to do.  Instead the decisions were ahead of time. All you have to do is show up. This leads to consistency and faster conditioning. Plus, Standardization= Better Results, Less effort! You can thank me later!  However, to truly reap the rewards of Michelangelo’s perspective, follow step 3.

STEP #3: Persist to truly unveil your masterpiece!

Yes, you will have moments that are unpleasant. You will want to go home in that moment. In that moment, everything you want will collide with everything standing in your way. However, you may not quit, you may not surrender. When you fall, get up with the outcome in mind.  You will succeed.

A great step to take to immediately increase persistence: Write down a specific plan of action when you will take when you hit unpleasant moments. For example, while I was adding 20 pounds of muscle on my body, I would hit a pain period. This pain period is where I get all of the growth, therefore internally I would say “ One more.”  Voilà, 20 pounds of muscle later it worked!

Now some may say “ Mustafa, How do I know when something is not for me? “

To be blunt, that is a poor question. If you have passion to do something and it excites you to do it, it is for you. Truly, it is just time to find an amazing strategy to do so.  You must be selective, since your time is of the utmost value (At least, I would hope so!) Instead ask, “How can I let the passion inside of my for X…. come out more? “ You will be surprised by how rapidly this comes out!

Another easy way to start persistence is to have a Shot Friend (SF). This is a person who will always give you a supercharged shot in the arm of 1000 CC’s of “GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR!” Call your SF religiously when you are thinking about quitting/ not following through on your arrangements.  [TIP: Invest in having more minutes; this will save you hundreds of dollars! use Truphone!] Whenever you whining or complaining about following through, your friend will give you a shot!

Combining these three steps in synergy leads to amazing achievements. You become empowered and in control of your life! Instead of being run by your life, you are running your life.

Now go off and mold your life. Watch as it becomes a gift to others. Humans are the only dynamic art in the world. Simultaneously, You are both the master and the masterpiece. Yes, you have just been “paradoxed!” 

P.S. Leave feedback below about how you leveraged Michelangelo’s perspective in your life. Since your knowledge can help others ! Huzzah!  

Resources:

Michelangelo’s Theory of Art -Robert J. Clements This tome truly encapsulates Michelangelo’s Ideas.

Linchpin-Seth Godin,The marketing guru changed my viewpoint forever on valuing art! Required Reading.

The Power of Habit- Charles Duggin Cutting-edge habit remolding! Got an obsessive addiction to procrastinate; check out this book for a solution