daily masterpieceLast week, on the jetway to board a flight, I heard a young girl behind me say (to no one in particular, as far as I could tell), “Make it a masterpiece.” For emphasis, she said it three times. “Make it a masterpiece.” I’ve been thinking about her advice ever since. What if we focused on creating a masterpiece today, and tomorrow? Let’s call it a daily masterpiece.

Here are six things you can do each day to take the advice of the anonymous little girl and make today and every day a masterpiece.

  • Be grateful. Like the image above, we start each day with a palette to work with. When we are grateful for what we have and acknowledge the palette, we are better able to us all the resources effectively. Additionally, developing a practice of gratitude provides us with a positive mindset with will prepare us more effectively to create our daily masterpiece.
  • Take care of yourself. How can you create a masterpiece if you are weak, hungry, tired, or hurting in some way? The more we take care of our whole selves, the better chance we have of creating a daily masterpiece.
  • Be focused on your goal. A masterpiece won’t happen just by picking up the paintbrush. Know what you want to accomplish today. Have a plan for the day and now how it contributes and moves in you the direction of your goals.
  • Be intentional. Knowing your goal and having a plan is important, but many people have those components. The discipline to keep them in mind, the ability to move past the tyranny of the urgent, the willingness to say no to the good so you can say yes to the masterpiece – that is something else.
  • Keep learning. As a parent we want our kids to be learning. We ask them “what did you learn today?” because we know learning is important. When did you last ask yourself that question? Creating a daily masterpiece requires continuing to learn and grow – knowing that what constitutes a masterpiece should look different in the future than it did in the past.
  • Serve others. A daily masterpiece will be more easily reached and be far more meaningful if it isn’t just about you. Our best days are days when we contribute, not just produce – when we give and not just take. You are more likely to create a daily masterpiece when you shift your focus to others and their needs than if you remain singularly focused on yourself.

There are fifty other items we could add to this list. But the longer the list, the harder it will be to achieve your masterpiece.  Perhaps you have one or two other colors you would put on your palette, if so, add them. But focus less on the colors and more on using them well and wisely – making a daily masterpiece, then two, then a week, then a masterpiece of a life.

To create a masterpiece, you need the right team. Are talent turnover, retention, and the Great Resignation causes for stress, anxiety, and concern? If so, join me for the Secrets for Turning the Great Resignation into the Great Revival webinar. I will share lessons that can change your organization for the better – forever. It is one more way to get closer to “masterpiece-level” performance and results!

You have two chances on February 9th to watch me deliver this cutting-edge content live – at 9 am or 3 pm ET. You can get all the details and get registered here.

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Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He has spent over 30 years helping organizations across North America, and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more.

Twice he has been named by Inc.com as one of the Top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World and 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference. The American Management Association named him a “Leaders to Watch” and he has been twice named as one of the World's Top 30 Leadership Professionals by Global Gurus. Top Sales World has named him a Top Sales & Marketing Influencer several times, and his blog has been named on many “best of” lists. LeadersHum has named him one of the 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2023.

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