Your Signature Life: What Will You Create in the New Year?
In the 1916 classic autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, author James Joyce tells of an artist who has his portrait painted in his youth. Over the course of his life as the young man’s character changes, so does the portrait, until it becomes a hideous depiction of his soul as reflected in his face. Though the story is surreal, the phenomenon can be quite true in every person’s life.
You do become the artist who paints your own portrait from the inside out—your character. You paint it habit by habit, day by day, line by line, shadow upon shadow. Each conversation you have adds its own color to the canvas. Each dilemma carves a new dimension. Every decision creates new depth. Failures and successes give perspective. Over time, each trait blends into the final character profile.
The canvas is yours. Your character is ready for your creation. It will be your most priceless possession. You have final say about what goes into it. After you’ve completed it, no one can destroy it or alter it. Once you sign your name to it and leave your earthly studio, you will always be remembered by this final, distinctive work of art.
As 2011 unfolds, you have a new page on your sketch pad. How will you begin?
