The Master of the Art of Living

“The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which; he simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both“.  -Buddha

Have you ever noticed when you sit down to do a project and you were so into it that the time just flew by?  Have you ever been so excited about a project you are working on that you find yourself totally excited to wake up in the morning so you can get started on it?  Have you ever stopped and looked at something you are working on or creating and gone…wow! And felt really proud of it?   I personally think that is one of the coolest feelings in life.  It’s that feeling of passion and excitement that you are really jazzed about what you are involved in and what you are accomplishing.  It’s that feeling that what you are doing is making a difference in not just your own life, but in the lives of people around you.  It’s that feeling of happiness that comes when you are excelling at something.  THAT is a GREAT FEELING!

So then how do we get that passion and that excitement and that great feeling every day?  I think the answer to that is that you have to view each day as a grand adventure, full of excitement and full of mystery and new experiences.  You have to wake up each morning and yell “OKAY WORLD – LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN!”  You have to go to your mirror and look at your reflection and yell “YOU’RE GORGEOUS!”  You should even write it on your mirror above your head so you see it every day as your reminder to yell it out loud!  Then buy the Crayola bathtub crayons and write messages on your shower walls that say “Hey there sexy, SING OUT LOUD!” so when you jump in your shower each morning you can remember to start singing a fabulous song that will lift your spirits and get you excited for your day.  I personally like a good hearty verse of “I am the champion (by queen)” or “Let’s get it started (by pink)” or “Dynamite (by Tao)” …really any song that motivates and inspires you will do.  Just sing it loud, and sing it proud baby!

Next you hop in your car and put in a fabulous motivational speaker CD to listen to on your way to work.  I personally love Brian Tracy or Wayne Dyer or Loretta LaRoche or any of those types of speakers.   Nothing pumps you up for a great day like a good motivational speaker on the way to the office.

Now you arrive at your cube.  Don’t think of it as a cube any longer, think of its as your luxury palace of wonders…the place where you make magic happen!  And make sure you post plenty of reminders on your cube of your fabulousness!  Have positive quotes and pictures of goals you want to achieve hung on your cube.  If you like you can even have a crown at your desk that you put on your head as you sit down to work each day to remind yourself that you are the King or Queen and today you are going to achieve EXCELLENCE!    Then go to work and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Put your heart and soul into everything you do.  Remember that there is no such thing as an unimportant task!  Every task, no matter how small has a ripple effect on everything else in the universe.  You never know what ripples will come from each task you do or each person you interact with.   And remember that you are the royalty here in your palace of wonders and everything you do will affect all the people in the kingdom, so do everything with grace and elegance and exactness.

Then when the day is done you return home to your loved ones, laugh out loud and play.  Then climb into your bed and prepare to MAKE IT HAPPEN AGAIN TOMORROW!

Does the day sound like work or does it sound like play?  To me it sounds like both, and that is the way to be The Master of the Art of Living!  BE THE MASTER 🙂

~Amy

5 Comments

  • Aleta Taylor says:

    I love your enthusiasm Amy! And I agree that we have to take our own life and work seriously or no one else ever will. It is a choice we make to live with purpose, intent and excellence. Dive in and discover the self you would never ever have met, if you remain too afraid to believe in yourself first. Get Wet! Kids do it all the time! They call it fun!

  • David Lapin says:

    A beautiful post, Amy, and so nice to hear your thinking after a while.

  • Zekiya Mudimu says:

    That’s great post, Amy, l always motivated by your posts. Regards

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  • Elizabeth says:

    Hello Amy,
    The quote you offered at the beginning of your narrative was written by a Unitarian minister in the 1930s named Lawrence Pearsall Jacks, or L. P. Jacks for short. It appears in the first chapter of the 1932 edition of his book “Education for Recreation.” While not a quote from Buddha, it does put forward a philosophy consistent with those of Buddha. Best regards,
    Elizabeth

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