In Linchpin Seth Godin encourages us to make art, our art, our unique contribution that makes us indispensable in a rapidly changing world.
I like that idea, especially that our art is not to be taken in the literal sense. Art is in the hands of the creator. Whether that be a carefully sculpted article, a well-crafted marketing campaign or the fine attention to detail the barista gives to his or her hundredth latte of the day. Art is in everything and anything we choose to do with our full mind, body and heart.
Taking it further, if we don´t grab the idea of art being in everything with both hands and make sure it fills our every day focus, the barrage of insidious nonsense and noise of the irrelevant will instead. However, the question lingers: is the search to do art a first world problem in sheep´s clothing? A problem of life being too easy to the point of the subtle softening of the spirit that pure survival and hard work chips away at every day? Is my art of coaching fitness, health and performance a real contribution or a privilege of modern society? By imposing challenge and struggle in the form of exercise and self-improvement, does it help keep human kind humble, empathetic, hard-working and engaged in the privilege of life? To stop self-destruction in lieu of a purposeless wasteful life? Or is this just my personal fascination that doesn´t matter to anyone else?
For a long time I believed that pursuing my art, including writing my thoughts, ideas and suggestions here for the world to read, was a bit of a “meh” creation of extra noise to the huge ever growing pile that is already on the internet. Now I see that if I don´t write and share I am passively enabling the noise to rage, instead of actively working to steer it in the direction I believe is meaningful and impactful. Writing and contributing is a part of my art of coaching in this lifetime…and to answer the question of does it matter? - I believe it does more than I perhaps know!
I am lucky to finally understand this and do something about it. If you are reading these words, thank you. Thank you for choosing to listen to my voice and my ideas. In a time scarce society, time is a priceless currency that I do not undervalue anymore.
So now it is time to just write and contribute again and again until something semi-coherent erupts and echoes from these pages and with those I am lucky to coach. Pretentious nonsense or not, if it matches my voice, aka my mind, the then all is well because I know there is value there. If nothing else it is at least real; meaningful and a small contribution toward your meaningful life and your contribution of art.