Excellent Advice for Living
Painting by Heather Harrington | Titled: Nature’s Rhythm | Acrylic on and mixed media on canvas
I learned something important this week that I wanted to share—or, I should say, re-learned a lesson because it’s something I have to keep reminding myself, which is that intrinsic rewards always beat extrinsic ones.
Here’s the difference in a nutshell: the personal satisfaction of a job well done (intrinsic) versus creating something in search of external validation (extrinsic).
Intrinsic rewards provide a sustainable form of motivation.
Now, back to my learning moment. I had the opportunity to sit in on an intimate book club gathering at which Kevin Kelly (bestselling author and co-founder of Wired Magazine, among other accomplishments) was the speaker. Kevin was there to discuss his new book, “Excellent Advice for Living” (which is excellent, by the way).
He talked about his life and work and spoke quite a bit about his art. In addition to his writing, he’s a photographer and creator of visual art.
After recounting many anecdotes and lessons learned from a rich and rewarding life, he closed with a final observation that really impacted me.
He said: “I create things to inspire others to create things.”
Talk about a powerful intrinsic reward.
Inspired by Kevin’s words, I went to work and created this painting for you. Now, what will you create?
p.s. I really enjoyed Kevin Kelly’s new book Excellent Advice for Living, it is a quick read with powerful aphorisms for living well
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Titled: Nature’s Rhythm
Size: 8 x 10”
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas