Make Each Day a Masterpiece

I heard this piece of advice on Nick Lenzi’s podcast this week, discussing ‘The Pyramid of Success’ by basketball coach John Wooden and immediately had to stop listening and let it sink in: “Make each day a masterpiece”.

Maybe it sounds corny but I think there’s a great truth here.

I think we often try to be our best selves, but it’s hard to sustain. Really hard. We react, often in ways that we don’t plan, don’t intend, and are contrary to who we want to be. We react physically or emotionally or both, in private or on stage at the Oscars.

It’s hard to always react well since that more about our character and values. But we often get to plan our actions too, and that will gradually shape our character over time. How often do we try to craft the day into a masterpiece?  Not just to understand our priorities for the day and focus on those, but consider how we might help someone else. Not tell them to have a great day, but actually help them achieve it.

Maybe that sounds fanciful, but I think it’s a fascinating idea. Maybe it’s closer to thinking, ‘what if today was my last day?’ How could I craft it to be something special.

The first thing I changed was small. I was out walking when I was listening to the podcast, and just started saying ‘good morning’ and hello to people. Not avoiding eye contact, just looking people in the eye with a smile. Small, but I think that would be part of living a great day.

Maybe I’ll never manage a true ‘masterpiece’ of a day, but what a great aim to start out each morning, with the intention of crafting something beautiful not just in what we make, but how we live.