Jan

Where Are Your Masterpieces Created?

Val on January 29th, 2009

Today while I was riding in my car, the idea came to me about creating Masterpieces, and where we do it.

Each of us is gifted in a unique way, and most of us have several gifts that we’re aware of. Your gifts are the key to answering the question:

Where are your Masterpieces created?

One of my gifts is writing, so my writing Masterpieces are created at the keyboard, or on paper.

Another gift of mine is teaching through inspirational public speaking, so my inspirational teaching and speaking Masterpieces are created on stage, as you can see.

Emeril Lagasse creates his Masterpieces in the kitchen.

Tiger Woods creates his Masterpieces on the golf course.

Magic Johnson & Michael Jordan created their Masterpieces on the basketball court.

Beethoven created his Masterpieces at the piano.

Micheal Phelps creates his Masterpieces in the swimming pool.

Where are your Masterpieces created?

There are two problems (I don’t like to use the word ‘problem’, but since everyone seems to understand the word to mean that something is not going according to how you would like it to go, we’ll go with it) with this whole Masterpiece creation thing. People seem to fit into one or the other of these two categories:

Book Launch Party for Val's First Book

First ‘problem’: you fit into this category if you’re currently nowhere near where you create your Masterpieces. You’re so far removed from the Masterpiece creation space because you’ve bought into what other people told you was right for you, and you did what was expected of you. You opted to get a safe government job rather than following your true passion of being an artist, or you decided to ’settle down’ when your heart was signaling you to travel the world, taking breath-taking photographs. Or you wanted to take drama, but your parents didn’t know how you were going to get a job with that, so they coerced you to take up something ‘practical’ in school, and you acquiesced.

Whatever your path, you are now far away from the Masterpiece creation space, and you know it. Every so often, you stop what you’re doing and think about how great it would be to live on purpose and do what you’re came here to do.

The second ‘problem’ is that if you do know where you create your Masterpieces, and you’re in that space, productively and joyfully creating to your heart’s delight, you’re probably somewhat reluctant to speak about it. Most folks are so busy hiding what they’re great at, you practically have to interrogate them to find out about it. I know business owners who hate to say that they shine at what they do. They’re in the Masterpiece creation space, and they’re definitely creating Masterpieces, but no one besides them knows anything about it.

Why do we have a reluctance (or, in some cases, downright resistance) to getting into the Masterpiece creation space and living life from there, boldly doing what we came here to do? And not only creating Masterpieces boldly, being willing to stand up and say, ‘Yes, I’m good at this, I create Masterpieces when I’m ____________!’

$Val\'s Next Book$

Val's Next Book!

I’ve felt it myself. I create Masterpieces when I put my fingers on the keyboard, or when I wrap them around a pen, this I know. I am made for the stage, I create Masterpieces when I get up and inspire with a powerful presentation. I love being on stage. That’s what I was made to do, and that’s where some of my best work is done.

When I walk into the kitchen, it’s a whole other ballgame (I do NOT enjoy cooking). Do I sit and sob that I don’t create Masterpieces in the kitchen? Heck no! I leave the cooking to people who create Masterpieces in the kitchen and I devote myself to the work of creating writing and teaching Masterpieces, which I love doing anyway.

So, here’s the question once more: