To Live is the Rarest Thing in the World

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”-Oscar Wilde

It is so easy to fall into the trap of mindlessly going through the motions of our daily lives.  Many people spend the majority of their time at work, school or taking care of various responsibilities.  Perhaps they dream of exciting things they would like to do, or activities they would like to try someday when they are not so busy.  However, unless time is set aside and plans are specifically made, chances are their life will end up passing by without the experiences they had dreamed of.  

It is important for us to find a good balance in life.  Work, education, and responsibility are important, of course, and should have a prominent place in our lives.  At the same time, we must make it a priority to enjoy life, and actively plan and participate in hobbies and experiences that will bring us joy and happiness.

Perfection is When There is Nothing Left to Take Away

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."  -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

 When working on any sort of a project, it seems to be human nature to continue to add new ideas and details throughout the entire process.  For example, a person may decide to plant a row of simple white flowers along the edge of their walkway.  While shopping for flowers, they think that perhaps only having white flowers would be boring, and that a mix of white and pink flowers would be better.  While planting the flowers, they start to think about the decorative garden fencing that the store had on display.  Convinced that this accent would improve the overall look, they head back to the store. They purchase the fencing, as well as a few plastic lawn decorations that they are positive will look adorable tucked in with the flowers. In the end, a simple row of flowers has turned into a colorful jumble of flowers and such.  Not the look they were after at all!  

Since we are continually thinking, it is natural to think of new ideas and to want to add them to your project.  However, it is important to remember that your new ideas can overpower or ruin your original idea that you are trying to implement!  Instead of trying to add details and features to improve a project, we should focus on the function of the project and identify the elements that are necessary to meet that goal.  Any element that is not identified as being necessary should be seriously considered for elimination.  

This can be applied to just about any project, professional or personal.  Truly remarkable outcomes can be had in any area when the excess has been removed from the parts that are important.