The Art of Making a Living

The process of life’s work planning can be defined, in a general sense, as creating a picture of the world you want to live in and the organizing of your energies into building it. It takes being part dreamer, part builder. If we are not dreamers, our aspirations will be too low, and we will sink into emptiness, leaving nothing of lasting value to those who follow. Yet, if we are not builders, if our dreams are not given the shape, form, and substance of living reality, then they are nothing more than phantoms and platitudes, the mirages we chase to escape a world we are unwilling to confront and love. The true idealist is not dewy-eyed dreamer but a committed foot solider in the cause of his vision.

No book can tell you how to find your way; it can at best catalyze and awaken the way within you. You can paint by numbers, but you’ll never produce a masterpiece like that. A masterpiece requires the soul and inspiration of an artist. To paint the masterpieces of your life, you need more than forms and systems. You need a heroic commitment to your best self. Born in your heart, tempered by your head, shaped with your hands, and walked with your own two feet, your life’s work is your special gift for mankind.

You must find your own way. It is not even a way, per se. It is simply a description of some of the important scenery along the way, the road to your Self and its expression in the world. This process should be approached with a spirit of introspection, adventure, and fun. You must rely upon yourself over any form, system, or structure.

Laurence G Boldt “Zen and the Art of Making a Living”, Preface xxvi