Make your life a masterpiece

Well, dear readers, within a few short days we shall welcome a new (secular) year. No doubt, many of you will be using this time to reflect on 2012 and be visualising your hopes and aspirations for 2013. One of my favourite quotes is by Henry Thoreau in the book "Walden" - "most people live lives of quiet desperation". Think about it. The vast majority of people barely live, they simply exist.

What does it mean to be made in the image of G-d? Well, if words have any meaning, then we share with the divine intelligence an ability to visualise NEW futures. G-d is CREATOR and we, made in His (Her) image also share the ability to be creative.

Sadly, procrastination is a very human habit and we all suffer from it to one degree or another. The main reason behind our putting things off (apart from our natural inclination to seek the path of least resistance) lies in our fear of failure. We are all perfectionists at heart and cannot bear the thought of not succeeding the first time. And yet, if Thomas Edison had taken that approach, we would never have received the electric light bulb - he 'failed' thousands of times unti he finally cracked it. If you have ever had the chance to visit the Cistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome, you will no doubt have marveled at Michelangelo's masterpiece. And yet, did you realise that it took him FOUR long years (six days a week) to paint it? He worked eight hours a day on scaffolding he made himself and suffered from terrible back pain throughout the project. Can you imagine working on your back, painting the ceiling above you in the freezing cold of winter, day after day? I have no doubt that Michelangelo was tempted to quit many times. And yet, he persevered, through hot summers, cold winters, suffering from the flu, the common cold, depression, sadness, loneliness and fatigue. Not in his wildest dreams could he have imagined the fame of his masterpiece.

I want to encourage you to make your life a masterpiece. Whatever failures you have experienced to this point in your life, they are all in the past. The future lies ahead of you like a large white canvass, waiting for passionate strokes of vibrant colour and subtle contrasts. G-d loves you. He cares passionately about you. He is not bothered that you are gay or lesbian. I have tried to demonstrate through articles on this blog, that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality and that the offending 'clobber verses' are terrible mistranslations.

There is a wonderful verse in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:10 "whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might". In other words, ignore your fear of failure, ignore your tendency to put things off, ignore other people's opinion, ignore your poor track record at finishing things. George Elliot wrote "it's never too late to be what you might have been". Read that again. It's NEVER too late! Don't wait until 1st January 2013, start now - where you are. There are some wonderful books, that you might find useful to keep you on track in 2013 and beyond: (1) "The Now Habit" by Neil A Fiore and (2) "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz. But if you are not a natural reader, then try and write down these few simple rules:

1. Write down your goal. There is power in the written word. For instance: By 31 December 2013 I am able to speak basic French. Or by 31st December 2013 I have met the man (or woman) of my dreams.
2. Don't try to accomplish too much. Keep it simple. Some people have lists as long as their arms, but they never accomplish anything. Why? Because their goals are overwhelming. There is too much to focus on.
3. Review your goals often. And stick to the most important one first. Imagine if Michelangelo had focused on ten goals. Do you think he would have completed the Cistine Chapel? No doubt he wanted to travel, read more books, learn a new language - but instead he focused on his life goal. Not all of us have the talent or calling of a Michelangelo. But EVERY one of us can make our life a masterpiece.
4. Pray about your goals, share them with G-d who desires for you a life of hope and accomplishment. For starters read Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the plans I have for you... I want you to enjoy success... I will give you hope for the years to come" (NIRV)
5. Your goals should be your goals. That might sound obvious, but let me tell you that I know countless people who are living someone else's life. Do you have a natural talent? Do you think Michelangelo was good at dancing? I have no idea, but he sure could paint. Are you passionate about something? What is it? Literature, music, fashion, traveling, entertaining, astronomy? I know too many people who earn lots of money but are miserable because they're still living their parent's dream rather than their own. Your goals, dreams, aspirations should be a natural extention of YOU, not someone else. 

So what is it you have always wanted to do? Have a personal relationship with G-d? Increase your knowledge in the Bible? Visit a Gay Pride event? Meet that special person? Find a new job? Read a book you have always wanted to read? Lose some weight and become fit? Colour your hair? Then start today. Some goals take a day to accomplish and others a lifetime. But stop putting things off. Life is a gift and every day a blessing. John Keats was one of the finest and most famous of the English Romantic poets and he was 26 when he died - and look what he managed to accomplish in his short life. Imagine Walt Whitman had never put pen to paper because he was gay. Harvey Milk inspired millions in the LGBT community for his fearless belief in gay activism. What if Harvey Milk had given in to his fears?

As G-d's gay and lesbian children, we have immense creative talent. We can rise up and overcome our fears or we can settle down to a life of mediocrity. We can awake each day and put one foot in front of the other, or we can stay in bed. We can reach out to the world and face potential rejection or we can stay in our comfort zone and never know the joy of meeting new people. Do you fear what other people think of you? Who cares what they think of you. You are YOU, with your own unique talents, your own unique smile and your own unique history. Lao Tse wrote "care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner".

Failure is only certain, if you give up. Try something new. Don't stay in a rut. A definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. If something doesn't work, find out why. Educate yourself, read widely, speak to people who have achieved what you desire. So much is freely available these days on You Tube etc. Accept problems, obstacles, rejection, lack of motivation etc. as part of the journey. Reach out to others. Give of yourself freely and be yourself.

Make your life a masterpiece and start TODAY! Happy New Year, BIG HUG and Shalom to all our readers from around the world :-)