'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

Go here to find out more.

Thursday 7 August 2008

Nice, Work.


                                                       "Web of friends"              Cut tissue on black sugar paper.

Mickey Rooney's famous quote "You always pass failure on the way to success." is great.  


But maybe he was thinking mostly about celebrity status, in which case, not so great.  And if he was thinking about being rich, also not so great.  


However recently in an interview he redeemed himself in my eyes  when he said:  "Being a celebrity is not the important thing in life, it's being nice to people.  And enjoying what you're doing, loving what you're doing, loving what you're cut out to do."


I feel these two things are exactly what we should be doing, it is our contribution to society.  The importance of being nice, of taking care of people around you.  That's one.

The other is having your work, what you do easily and like doing. 


Finding your work is not always easy, but if you try enough different things, you'll find that one that you love doing, the one that comes easy to you.  And you will know it, because other people say 'oh, how do you do that?  You are so good at that, I admire you!  You make it look so easy!'  This is what you are cut out to do.  Your shape fits it.  It fits you.  We shouldn't settle for less, if at all possible.


Perfectly illustrated by my daughter's art work "Web of friends", that she did when she was about ten.  

(and  lovingly dedicated to that same N, who's wondering at the moment what it is she's cut out to do.)



2 comments:

  1. You outline a very great psychological truth. The writer Joseph Campbell called it finding and following your "Bliss" 'you may or may not make a lot of money in life but after making enough for a modest living that's not everything - or all important, what you will have is your "Bliss" '

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  2. Yes, 'following your bliss' is an inspiring concept. Bliss you Auden!

    ReplyDelete

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