Kintsugi: The Beauty of Imperfection

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.
~ Marilyn Monroe ~

Growing up in Hawaii, I had the opportunity to be immersed in many different cultures.  A predominant one was the Asian way of life, Japanese in particular.

Over the years, I would find myself staring at various decorative objects at friends and family homes; gorgeous colorful scrolls, exquisite bonsai arrangements, and tranquil sand/rock gardens.   However, I was always struck by beautiful pottery pieces which usually had some lines of gold or silver randomly placed within its structure.

Little did I know I was actually looking at the Japanese art of Kintsugi. Continue reading “Kintsugi: The Beauty of Imperfection”

Designing Your Life … Just a Dream?

Lead a life of your own design, on your own terms.  Not one that others or the environment have scripted for you.
~ Tony Robbins ~

Picture this. — (Yeah, just starting and already sounding like Sophia from Golden Girls.)

It’s late 2009, I am in Florida with my recently turned ten-year-old daughter.  It’s early morning, just when the sun is rising, mostly everything around me is still deep in slumber.  I am alone on a third-floor balcony gazing at the beautiful emerald Gulf Coast waters.

And all I can think about at that moment is, “What the heck am I supposed to do now?” Continue reading “Designing Your Life … Just a Dream?”

Whatever Floats Your Boat

People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals … that is, goals that do not inspire them.
~ Tony Robbins ~

Sometime ago I spoke with a friend who was a very successful businessman. At some point I asked, “What drove you to be successful? Was it the money? Traveling around the world? What?” He momentarily looked stern and contemplatively; then he smiled and answered, “I didn’t want to displease dad!” That was his motivation. That was what floats HIS boat! Amazing, isn’t it, what motivates us.

Consider for a moment: What drives you to do what you do? What is your motivation? What floats your boat? Continue reading “Whatever Floats Your Boat”