[cs_section style=”margin: 0px; padding: 45px 0px; “][cs_row style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” inner_container=”true”][cs_column style=”padding: 0px; ” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][cs_text]A few years ago I used to listen to Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! on NPR. It is an entertaining show that quizzes people on the latest headline news. Because my travel patterns have changed I have not listened to it in a while. A few weeks ago I decided to listen to a few podcasts to refresh that interest. One of the shows had best selling author Nora Roberts as a guest. When asked if she ever feared running out of material to write about she responded, “Oh, no. There are 88 keys on the piano, but do you run out of music?” I like that perspective a lot.
88 Keys
88 keys, that is all there is on the piano. Yet we still find a way to make endless music with those 88 keys. In those 88 keys we can speed up or slow down what we play. We can play one, two, three or ten at a time. We can change the progression, the loudness, the chords – we can do a lot with just 88 keys. Though we are limited we are not limited. We may be bound to just 88 keys but we can find an endless arrangement. Even in those 88 keys are just 12 musical notes, they are merely repeated in pitch. Still, even in those limitations we find ways to produce new music.
Or think about the essential elements of shapes. Every single shape that has ever existed only has two elements to them – straight lines and/or curves. That is it, all the different shapes or designs we have is simply a combination of straight lines and/or curves. Despite the extreme limitation of just two elements in shapes we never run out of shapes or designs. We look for new combinations every day to produce new cars, boats, signs, buildings, clothes – everything really. Whether it is 88 piano keys or straight lines and curves we can do much with little.
Using Our Limitations
How many times have we used the excuse, “There’s nothing to do.” or the less used, “We’ve done it already.”? I know I have many times. Yet those excuses are just excuses, they rarely, if ever, are true. Many times those excuses are thrown around because we simply do not want to do or try. We look for those limiting excuses as to why we are not out there living life, pursuing our passions. However, how ridiculous would a musician sound if they said, “I can’t do much with just 88 keys.” Or what about the artist who would say, “All I have is straight lines and curves, I need more to create art!” If we all lived staring at the limitations we have in life no music would have ever been created, no great pieces of art would ever exist. Life would be a disappointing single shade of grey.
Thank God we do not live in that single shade of grey. Many have used those limitations we have and created masterful works of art and music. We invent new music, new designs, new shapes daily. We do not hinder ourselves because our tools are limited but we use what we have to continually create. It is our ability or inability to use the few tools given to us that separates the Michaelangelo’s from the Jack’s of the world. While most people know Michaelangelo most people do not know Jack.
Let Us Do
It is true, doing something means doing something, it means having to choose to act. Many of us like the idea of passive engagement where things come to us, requiring little effort. But passive engagement is one of those oxymorons – how can one be truly engaged if one does nothing? It cannot be done. Rather than the sit-and-wait approach we are better served with the get-up-and-do approach. This approach requires effort on our part but it is much more rewarding than doing nothing.
There are many excuses we use every day to explain why we are not pursuing our passions and our better selves. If we so desire there are many ready-made reasons why we do not do, among these are the limited tools we have. But excuses are excuses, they do nothing about what we are or what we do with our limitations. Rather than live our lives focusing on how we are limited let us get to living with the tools we have. We may be limited with what we have but there is still endless music on 88 piano keys.
Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section]