You are born before a canvas. You are invariably provided with tools, materials and paints. You, the Artist are left to create and form something beautiful from all that is laid before you: The ‘tools’ are experiences; the ‘canvas’ is life and self….er
Okay, fair enough, these sound like the ramblings of a long, greasy and greying haired someone, too old to be pursuing psychedelic highs, yet is nevertheless on one (which I am not. Honestly). I’ll cease at attempting to be overly-deep ‘cos all I want to say is that some people sit in self-bamboozlement and wonder what the meaning of life is (while said life passes them by), and others already know, obviously, it is- to live. Thus, they endeavour to do just that. The former bypass time lounging in the comfortable lap of complacency while life experiences just happen around them. The latter view each experience and experience-inducing opportunities as a starving man views a three-course meal (the latter are crazy hungry for growth and character). The latter recycle this great gift of a thing called ‘experience’ and draw every ounce of nutrition out of it (- try and keep up with my scatty metaphors). The latter are the ‘Crafty Ones’.
Friends, I beseech you- be cunning, wily, socially dexterous. Take advantage of others. In a good way. You think that’s not possible…Come with me on a four step journey through my ever fizzing cerebral cortex as I show you how to be more ‘Craftable’:
1) Use people. I use people up like a fast food chain uses up reconstituted meat. I get excited when I meet a new person, because no matter how ‘boring’ a person thinks they are, they have information, knowledge, ideas, resources etc that I don’t. And I want some more of all those things. People are the most precious and fascinating of creatures (-that’s right, lonely old Cat Lady) – talk to them, explore their minds, soak up their goodness.
2) Know that every mistake is a teacher. Try and trial. Make error. Learn; Re-asses/ re-evaluate. Move on. Re- execute. In an exponentially better way.
The crafty guy is so self-absorbed. He’s always thinking about himself and his own self improvement –the selfish thing- and crafts everything possible that he comes across into a means for this end. Look at every experience –especially ‘negative’ ones- as a chance to learn some nugget of life-truth and build character. Be devious and wily and manipulate these things into the shape of your success.
3) I’ve rammed the nutritional importance of taking advantage of “Experience” down your throat. Good. It’s important for progress. So important in fact, that you better just chase it down when you can get it. The wily eye is always on the look out for such chances. E.g. the painfully shy girl who took a job as a door to door salesperson –un unfairly much maligned profession, I might add!- knowing if there is anything that’s going to build obscene confidence, resilience, determination, sociability and break you out of your ‘shell’, it’s being forced (-Commission only. No sales=no eat!) to interact with and engage 100 completely different -and frankly quite strange in many cases- people everyday, in areas you’ve never been to, some you would never want to go to and get people to buy into you (-the real ‘product’ you are selling) at their homes when many of them don’t want to be bothered out of their comfortable homely sofa-haze. You have to admire someone who makes themselves take a flying leap so far outside their comfort zone to suck the rich juice out of a potentially mega rich –say it with me- EXPER-I-ENCE.
4)Slap your enemy in the face. Pummel him to the floor. Then drop kick him. Then twist his nips.
I’m not advocating physical violence here. Your enemy is the ‘thing’ that tries to make you give up and in when things don’t go your way. The thing that stops you from believing you are well able to prosper. Aggressively defy him and shame that fool with positive assertions and subsequent actions. Pow! Biff! Bash!
I don’t care what your name is, be a ‘Victor’.
The scary and striking (-in more ways than one. haha) supermodel Naomi Campbell was recently reported in the news as haughtily describing being adjured to be a witness in a serious war crimes trial as a ‘big inconvenience’ for her. I’m sure it was.
But if you are not a capricious celeb drunk off your own grandeur (disclaimer: I’m not saying Naomi is. I actually love you Miss Campbell. Mwah!!), you will realize so called ‘inconveniences’ to your comfortable life’s comfortable little plans can be a good thing. They are humbling, make you realize everything isn’t meant to go your way, life is an unpredictable 'box of chocolates', you are not the boss of everything, you have to learn to adapt, adjust and maintain dignity in the face of things that are not wholly pleasant to you..
Other manifestations of this thing ‘inconvenience’ are ‘chances to learn how to sacrifice’, ‘a chance to grow up’ and ‘a general chance to learn something from the greatest of learning devices…EXPERIENCES’ –pleasant, unpleasant, new and varied. But experience isn't just the thing, it's learning how to draw from and wisely RESPOND to it. As you grow older, and hopefully wiser, you should get better at responding well to different life situations, people and experiences.
-Thusly, you allow your ‘Craftability’ to flourish. Knowing the artwork you are crafting is Yourself- AKA your ideal person; one who is deftly knowledgeable, ‘people wise’, cool, creative, possessive of that certain je ne sais quoi (-basically- la confiance). And great for people to be around cos your wealth of experience has made you interesting, and people know you find them so too.
So pick up your tools and get crafting…
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(-Blog inspired by Scott Ginsberg of "Hellomyname is" fame...)
www.hellomynameisblog.com
