“It is impossible to build something that is of a higher quality than the quality of the people around you.” Will Smith
“Luis painted that yesterday” read the Whatsapp message to me.
Flashback to last night. Luis, my youngest, was in art school for the second time and his mood was…well…let´s call it difficult. Although it had nothing to do with art or school, he walked in there with his head hanging when I said goodbye to him for the evening.
Back to today: So how good could his “masterpiece” be that he painted in this state?
My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Wow,” I thought to myself. “Luis painted that in a bad mood in his second lesson?” (the picture you can see above)
A quick look at the art school’s homepage and I realized why the result was so good:
“We offer children and young people art lessons with individual support from friendly and well-trained professionals. In our studio, children can let their imagination run wild and create their very own paintings and objects. The focus of the painting lessons is on having fun and enjoying painting, discovering colours, lines, structures and learning painting and drawing techniques with different colored materials.”
The art school lives two of the most important qualities for lasting success.
1: “Personal attention from friendly and well-trained professionals,” which brings me to the opening quote from Will Smith. “It is impossible to build something that is of a higher quality than the quality of the people around you.” So many people have big dreams and goals, yet these seeds perish in a toxic and negative environment like sunflowers in the desert. As my mentor JT Foxx rightly said, “If you’re the smartest in the room for a long time, you’re in the wrong room. Do you have an environment that understands and supports you? People that make your goals and dreams even bigger? Do you have “professional support from well-trained specialists?”
2: “…structures and learning painting and drawing techniques…are the focus of our painting lessons.” The second important point for lasting success is understanding and knowledge. Because what takes you to a new level is precisely this new knowledge and continuity. Once a book has been read, it evaporates as quickly as a drop of water on a hot stove. What do you feed your mind with every day? Do you use your brain or do you just govern your brain? Or even worse – do you listen to the same crap every day from the same people who have as much vibrancy and zest for life as a 20-year-old doormat?
Both points, a new community and the continuous acquisition of knowledge, Anke and I became aware of again during our 35-day Caribbean cruise. Because there was a committed group of “fans” on the trip who came to every lecture, workshop and reading. They have grown tremendously over the 35 days and have changed their old habits a little more each day. Fighting back tears, one participant said on the final evening: “It was the journey of our lives. I no longer recognize my husband. I can’t believe what your inspirations have triggered in him and me.”
So, if you cannot join my next cruise end of March and still want to have a change in your life, then get in touch with me for a private mentoring.
