Time to Employ Your Stern Resolve

When I read this quote I thought about Leonardo Da Vinci working for twelve years on a painting to get it just right. He spent those years working on the lips of the Mona Lisa…twelve years! Her face is haunting and will follow you as you move about the room, not to mention her lips! Talk about being fixed to a star!

I imagine Leonardo speaking with his family and friends over a meal and they ask him what he did today in his studio. And once again he must mention the lips of the Mona Lisa. “When are you going to be done with those?” “When are you going to decide that enough is enough and stop redoing them?” “And why are you laser focused on those lips when there is other work to be done?” “Just get over it and move on!” Sound familiar?

Our greatest triumphs and challenges can also be our greatest turmoils. We know we can do it, do it better, that there is just something missing or not done AND we won’t rest until it’s just right. Not everyone will understand that obsession or focus. They may get fired of hearing us talk about our project – that never ending, constant drag, overdone THING we are doing – which also means they may not understand. They may not be the right audience for that conversation. Maybe it is time to stop sharing on that topic and relive them and you of the comments and criticism.

Not everyone gets it. Not everyone knows or understands the passion and enthusiasm for things that are important to us. And not everyone wants to be reminded that YOU are working on something you love and enjoy and they are not. Sometimes our focus reminds others that they are not focused and that makes them feel less than…so what do they do? They criticize and complain. I’m sure Leonardo being a wise man eventually stopped telling people he was still working on her lips…he just did the work and shared it all when he was done.

So what in your life has you THAT committed to excellence? Is it your family? Your Career? Your health? Or even your creative outlets? What would you spend twelve years redoing in order to get it just right? Do you have the persistence, the personal focus, the character to face failure and fixing that thing to get it right? Do you have the stamina to endure the comments and criticism of people who do not understand your passion? All things that are created in excellence are not ways understood nor valued until they are done.

It is time to employ your stern resolve and focus on getting what you need to do done. Don’t let the naysayers or critics prevent you from doing what you know is right! Invest the time in your passion and do the work you need to do to get it done.