Skill Mastery and Life Satisfaction

Most of us are lucky enough to be gifted a brain and two hands that are intimately linked to work together. Some may have been born with added challenges. Regardless, I believe that everyone has the capacity to create art. Follow your interests and curiosities. Learn a seemingly obsolete skill like driving a stick-shift. Learn a useful skill such as basic wiring. Learn how to stroke a paintbrush on canvas or J-Stroke a canoe paddle in water. Swing a hammer or a golf club. write or tell jokes. Bake. Repeat your chosen activities until you can perform them without conscious effort. You will find in time that the skills fall into two categories. First, There will be skills in which you gain basic competence in that will enrich your daily life. They will help you navigate through life with more flexibility and open the door to new and interesting possibilities. The second and smaller group will be skills in which you find natural talent. This is the category in which you have the ability to push past the mediocre. To create content or perform in a way that only you can offer. This is where a hobby becomes an art. These activities may even define your unique life path. Never let anyone tell you that your art form is useless or inferior to another. The merit of your endeavor is limited only by the level of your mastery. If you get good enough at anything and display it in a way that the world has never seen before, crowds will gather to marvel at the spectacle of human excellence. You need only ask the daredevils, chess champions, Olympians and world record holders to verify this truth. Be the spark that ignites the next new sport, technological breakthrough, defines the fashion of a decade or merely brings your small community together in celebration. Strive to be the best at something, trust that your efforts are not wasted and good things will follow.