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A Abundant life
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was one of the most creative people who ever lived, distinguishing himself as an accomplished painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, botanist, engineer, and physicist. We might learn some important lessons from Leonardo as we seek to live our lives to the fullest...
Be Curious. Centuries before airplanes had been invented, Leonardo was busily at work designing parachutes and hypothetical flying machines.
Think For Yourself. Don't just accept what others have to say about a particular topic; explore the issue on your own. To learn about anatomy, Leonardo didn't just read books on the subject. He dissected over 30 bodies!
Sharpen Your Senses. Leonardo once lamented, "People look without seeing, hear without listening, eat without tasting, touch without feeling, and talk without thinking." He took time to experience—and learn from—the everyday stimuli of real life.
Embrace Uncertainty. Don't be afraid to explore issues that aren't neatly delineated into black-and-white terms. Leonardo's Mona Lisa is a wonderful study in ambiguity: What exactly is intended by Mona Lisa's smile?...
Balance Logic and Imagination. The original "Renaissance man," Leonardo described his life as the study of "the science of art and the art of science." He reminds us to be "thinkers" as well as "feelers," to be "intuitive" as well as "perceptive."
Make Connections. Leonardo looked for links among seemingly unrelated phenomena. He sought parallels between flight and swimming … between the way hair grows and how muscles are formed … among wind, water flow, and the way sound travels through the air. We should take time to reflect upon the events and phenomena we observe each day: How are they related? How does one inform the other? How can our experience in one area prepare us to work effectively in another area?
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"Abundant life" cannot be found by living life on cruise control. Like Leonardo, we must stretch the limits—of our logical minds and of our imaginations—in order to experience that "life to the fullest" of which Jesus spoke.
Source: "Bottom Line: Personal," January 1999, pp. 13–14.
Topics/Tags: Creativity; Thinking; Abundant life
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain -
Source: Mark Twain
Topics/Tags: Regret; Adventure; Risk-taking; Abundant life
Browse By Topic A Abundant life