“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide if he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both.” -James A. Michener
How does one master the art of living? What does it actually take to create this type of art? These are the types of questions that keep me up at night. As a coach I get to watch people master this art all the time. There are a handful of themes that stand out to me when I see people living vibrantly and passionately. When the lines between their work and their play are so blurred that work-life balance isn’t even a thing anymore. These types of people seem to have discovered a more joyful life and we find ourselves wanting what they have.
Here are some of the characteristics that I see in people who have either mastered or are in the processing of mastering the beautiful art of living:
- They clearly know their gifts, strengths, and passions…..and they utilize them daily
- They have clear values and are uncompromising with them
- They are connected……as connection fuels the human brain
- They take risks…..because a little bit of threat in life can be a good thing
- They dream, and they are relentless in the pursuit of their goals
- They take small baby steps towards what they want each and every day
- They meditate, or simply take a few moments to step back from the hustle and bustle of life
- They disconnect from time to time…..they either turn their devices off or simply modify the amount of time they spend on them
Today, I challenge you to think about just one of the characteristics above. Is there one that resonates with you, where you found yourself thinking, “Huh, I could try that.” If so, how could you take one small step in order to create a new way of living? If you are to become a master in the art of living you must do something different, even if it is something really small to begin with.