Today, on my daily morning walk, I noticed one craftsman busy in his trade. The weather was hot, and the sunrays directly hitting the craftsman, who was oblivion to the heat and dust around him. He was immersed in his craftsmanship.
I have been observing this person for almost a month now and impressed with the singular devotion with which he works. His craftsmanship is stonemasonry. For those of us who have seen them work, it is sheer magic of giving shape and new life to the stones. Stones take varied shapes as they quietly chisel for hours and hours until the stone comes alive in the new shape. It is almost akin to being re-born.
Here are 5 handy tools to rev up your game to the next level and become the craftsman of your own life. Grab them and get to work. Results guaranteed.
1. Chiselling
No matter what the size of the rock at hand, the stonemason gently chisels it into shape. Chipping and chipping at every corner until he achieves the desired shape. Only then, he gets into the finer nuances of polishing the stone and giving it a shine.
Each of us have the inbuilt capability to chisel ourselves into whatever we want to become. What is required is for us to use this unique gift to chip and chisel ourselves into the desired shape, whether mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually. The beauty is when you start with one, the others follow suit.
2. Focused Energy
Observe the stone mason carefully. He takes a comfortable body posture, all his tools are handy and within arm’s reach. Once the posture is taken, then he is locked into that posture for hours at end. By not moving his body unless absolutely necessary, the stone mason is able to conserve his energy and direct it into the desired direction.
In a similar way, whatever we want to accomplish, we have to direct our energy into the right direction to get the right result. Also, once the direction is locked, changing it midway or hustling in too many directions only results in wastage of energy. This ability to direct energy in a desired direction has the unique proposition to elevate us to unimaginable levels. After all, energy follows attention.
3. Clarity
The stone mason literally romances the stones. When he holds the stone, he is actually feeling every part of it and this helps in determining what design will suit best. The stone is about to be reborn into a new shape which will either adorn a wall, or be used in the kitchen for grating spices or may soon be a celebrity in a museum. He knows that once the tool starts chiselling, the stone has started a new journey of life. Hence, the stone mason spends time in visioning the design to give to the stone. Clarity at its best. This trait is a must in our life too.
4. Patience
Well, chiselling is hard work before one really gets to see the beauty emerge. The stonemason’s craft exemplifies patience. Any trade or craft we are in requires patience to let the fruits of the craft to be visible to oneself and to the world. It is one skill worth working on.
5. Surrender
The stone mason merges his identity into the stone he is carving. When I asked this new friend of mine about his romance with his craft, he mentioned that he has been doing it for more than five decades. What struck me was his next response. He said that every time he picks up a new stone, he merges a part of himself into the stone’s journey, thus a new journey emerges for them both. He sees his own self in that stone, hence as he starts chiselling, he surrenders completely to this process. For him, each stone is unique and his approach is like a child, curious to bond a new friendship with the stone. That’s an absolute Wow!!! Surrender to one’s craft is the best gift one can gift oneself.
Bruce Lee quote – www.azquotes.com
– #SJ