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Feature: Uncover Your Hidden Masterpiece

TL;DR: You already have the qualities you want to develop. You just have to cut away all the clutter and fluff that covers up the person you want to become.

Everything amazing and beautiful that you want already exists.

It’s just been waiting for you to show up, and I’ll prove it to you.

In fact, I’ve brought in a Renaissance artist and a historic Zen monk to back me up on this.

Let me show you what I mean.

The Secret of the Sprigionati

There's a lesser-known exhibit in Florence where Michelangelo reveals a secret of the universe. It’s sometimes called the “Sprigionati,” which translates into “released from prison.”

The Sprigionati is a collection of marbles housed in the Accademia, where most people go to see Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of David.  But more than 90% of the tourists who come here overlook the Sprigionati. 

Sprigionati is a group of apparently unfinished sculptures. The figures seem to be emerging from the marble. Michelangelo did this to make a point:

The art already exists in the marble. Your job as a sculptor is to cut away all the superfluous material so the masterpiece can be released.

When I first understood this concept, it immediately changed my life.

I used to believe the key to happiness and success was to become an extraordinary person: strong, skilled, disciplined, an amazing lover, etc. I spent most of my 20s and 30s trying to be that person and more.

Then I went to Italy. I learned about Michelangelo, others like him, and their philosophy.

As I learned to chip away at the excess marble, the sculpture emerged, and I started to attract the things I wanted. Money. A girlfriend. The opportunity to travel.

Almost everything I wanted flowed towards me, because I became the kind of person who could attract those things. In fact, I had been that person all along.

So, how can you cut away the superfluous marble and release the sculpture trapped inside?

The Ceaseless Practice

Michelangelo wasn’t the first to understand this idea.

Centuries earlier, the Zen monk Dogen said it was silly to practice meditation with the goal of becoming more like the Buddha.

The reason for this is that you already are the Buddha, you already are an enlightened expression of the universe and the divine.

Spiritual practice doesn't transform you into something greater. It simply reveals what was there all along.

And you don’t need to spend your days sitting on a cushion, reciting mantras and counting your breaths. In fact, most people probably shouldn’t.

Dogen said that the sun, moon, and stars are all engaged in ceaseless practice. Their movements across the sky are a kind of divine martial arts or yoga.

They’re not orbiting each other to become heavenly bodies, because they already are heavenly bodies. They balance the cosmic gravitational forces and inspire us when we look up and watch them. But they do it because that’s what it’s in their nature to do.

When you attain your wishes and goals by becoming the kind of person who can attain them, you’ll discover something profound.

You’ll realize that you already are the artist, leader, lover, warrior, millionaire, or athlete you wanted to become. By writing, painting, or doing the exercises that such a person would do, you’re engaged in the same ceaseless practice as the stars.

Your actions reveal and release those qualities which are already an intrinsic part of you.

Action is the key to unlocking the sculpture within. This week’s tool will help you find the right action to take.

Tool of the Week: Release Your Intrinsic Qualities

1. Write a bucket list of things you want to do, achieve, and experience in your life time. Your list can include single events, such as visiting the Taj Mahal, or general concepts such as being rich, being a wonderful father, or working out and getting jacked.

2. List the qualities you'll have to cultivate. These might include being disciplined, staying calm when things go wrong, or paying close attention to details.

3. Brainstorm habits and practices that will bring out these qualities. Maybe you’ll draw for 30 minutes a day, lift weights, or listen attentively to everyone you talk to.

4. Choose one of these practices and do it every day for 3 months. (You can also do the other practices but focus on one and make it a daily non-negotiable.)

5. Keep at your chosen practice until it becomes as natural as brushing your teeth. Then pick another habit and do the same thing. 

The secret is to develop unshakable faith that you already have all the qualities that you say you want to cultivate. The habits and practices are meant to bring them out.

If you found this article helpful, join Changing the WIND and be part of a community that will transform your entire life. We’re now accepting lifetime charter members. Click the button below if you’re interested:

That wraps it up for this week.

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Jacob