All he wants to do is draw. He is, thank goodness, unstoppable.*
Jenny Uglow

Grit has two components: passion and perseverance … Enthusiasm is common.  Endurance is rare.**
Angela Duckworth

Okay, so we may have to
do other things to ensure an income, but,
What is the one thing you want to do –
Heart, soul, mind, and strength – and
nothing is ever going to stop you?

I’d like to hear more.

*Jenny Uglow’s The Quentin Blake Book;
**Angela Duckworth’s Grit.

genius (n) from Latin genius “guardian deity or spirit which watches over each person from birth; spirit, incarnation; wit, talent; originally “generative power” (or “inborn nature”), from PIE *gen(e)-yo-, from root *gene- “give birth, beget,” with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.

Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition in case of success.*
Ernest Shackleton

We each have a genius –
Please don’t try to compare it
with someone else’s,
That only messes with your heart and mind –
The point is to share it as only you can,
This thing that makes the world a better place,
At least one person’s world.

The other side of it is that the only way to fully
articulate our genius is to push ourselves,
Probably not by heading to the Antarctic, but
maybe working a little longer, not being so recompense-intent,
Missing out on some TV, not worrying what others think,
Facing our demons.

*Maria Popova’s Figuring.

What is your thread?*
William Sieghart

Life is an expression of bliss.**
Joseph Campbell

Thread is William Stafford‘s word for
bliss, and bliss is Joseph Campbell’s word for
the thing we must do, our “all-important,” so that,
If we tried to remove it, we’d be tearing away
the very core of our being.

There are plenty of things in life that
can demand or distract our attention, or connection
to the thread, especially
when the going gets tough – this is when our
daily rituals and practices that embody our thread
come to our aid, so never forget to
go to your rituals.

*William Sieghart’s The Poetry Pharmacy;
**Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

[Good’s] existence is the unmistakable sign that we are spirit creatures, attracted by excellence and made for the good.*
Iris Murdoch

*Iris Murdoch’s The Sovereignty of Good.

The very moments that make us go “wow!” are the very same moments that can change our lives.*
Jonah Paquette

*Jonah Paquette’s Awestruck.

we propose we need not time management but timelessness*
Maggie Berg and Barbara Seeber

I wish you a merry and a
slowsome Christmas –
Maybe with some doodling –
Which derives from dawdling.

*Maggie Berg and Barbara Seeber’s The Slow Professor.

We are the dawning of the universe upon itself.*
Rebecca Elson

May you recognise in your life the presence,
Power and light of your soul …
May you have respect for your individuality and soul.**
John O’Donohue

The final episode of Brian Cox‘s series
Solar Systems identifies many strange planets, the strangest being,
Quite rightly, our own, a green and blue wonderworld teeming with life,
And perhaps the strangest life of all is
you and me, with all our
consciousness going on,
Splendidly self-conscious and other-conscious,
Nature-conscious and universe-conscious –
To be delighted in and deeply pondered.

It always comes back to silence for me.  Taking myself to silence.  Inviting others to silence.  Frequently.  Quiet our busy minds.  Set aside our relentless chatter. Just be quiet.  And then do something.  And then get quiet again.^

*Rebecca Elson’s A Responsibility to Awe;
**John O’Donohue’s Benedictus: For Solitude;
^Bob Stilger, from Brandy Agerbeck and Kelly Bird’s (editors) Drawn Together Through Visual Practice.

all life on earth is ultimately made possible by dissipative structures that capture chaos and shape it into more complex order*
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

*Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow.

Context is what gives meaning.  When you change the context you change yourself.  This is where freedom lies.*
Ben Hardy

*Ben Hardy’s essay: These 20 Pictures Will Teach You More Than Reading 100 Books.

If we go down to ourselves, we find that we possess
exactly what we desire.*
Simone Weil

*John O’Donohue’s Divine Beauty.