PAUSE – 13.10 – Can You Imagine The Possibilities?
Reflection: Where do you focus? And, what do you see?
Several years ago, during one of my early watercolor classes, our instructor Cecelia sat us down to sketch on the South Saskatchewan riverbank here in Saskatoon.
Thinking like photographers, we scanned the horizon and angles searching for THE perfect composition. Not Cecelia. She pointed out a grouping of trees to the left, the sweep of a promenade to the right, and the silhouette of a building in the distance. She totally ignored the backhoe, the piles of dirt, and the construction workers milling around the site.
Cecelia then roughed out a sketch that moved the elements she liked into a composition that worked. We looked at her – skeptical and disbelieving – and asked, “Can you do that?”
The answer, of course, is yes. And not just in the world of art!
Art, and the art of life, invite us to picture what could be. Having imagined it, we can set about creating something new.
This option – to create a fresh reality and imagine new possibilities – is available to each of us every single day. We need only focus our attention on what holds appeal, work around the debris, and picture what could be in the face of what is.
Action: As the designer of your own life, you get to choose your point of view. You needn’t feel trapped or limited by what you find in front of you. You don’t have to fixate on things that are less than ideal. Be selective about what you pay attention to; and build on what holds potential.
Where might you create a new vision for a less than ideal situation in your life? Given permission to alter and elaborate, what new possibilities could you visualize for tomorrow?
Quotes Of The Week:
The Possible’s slow fuse is lit by the Imagination. – Emily Dickinson
I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them. – Pablo Picasso
Those who do not think outside the box are easily contained. – Nicolas Manetta
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. – Henry David Thoreau
Resource Of The Week: For an interesting perspective on change and possibility, check out this article (An Accelerating Possibility Curve) by National Geographic photographer, Dewitt Jones.
Readers Write: In response to last week’s message, Who’s In Charge Of Your Mind, Pause reader BG writes: As always, you hit the nail on the head. This reminded me of something that happened last summer. We were having an afternoon with the family playing pinball. With 12 of us, and pinball machines going, you can imagine the sound level. I noticed that my 6-year-old granddaughter was missing, so I went looking for her. She was off to the side sitting on the ground in the yoga cross-legged pose. She even had her fingers in the correct position! I asked her if she was okay and she said yes, she just needed a break from all of the activity. I was inspired and impressed. The things that I could and should be learning from her!
Tags: appreciation, art, attitude, burnout, delight, focus, inspiration, painting, Pat Katz, Patricia Katz, pause, perspective, Saskatoon, speaker, success, watercolor, wellness
What a great “Pause” for me this week. I’ve been looking at nothing but metaphorical backhoes and construction workers and not seeing the good life that I live, thanks. Often we get tunnel vission focusing on the “crappy things” we want to change in our lives and not the good we want to keep.
It makes a huge difference, doesn’t it, Dan, when we can shift our focus! Good luck with this week’s backhoes! 🙂