Author: Don Packett
I’ve always been a fan of the multitude of skills that Leonardo da Vinci brought to the world to REACH PERFECTION. A painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect (thanks Wikipedia), his art – in whichever format it was created – is well-known across the planet, throughout history. Stories shared through time explain his commitment to […]
I’ve always been a fan of the multitude of skills that Leonardo da Vinci brought to the world to REACH PERFECTION. A painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect (thanks Wikipedia), his art – in whichever format it was created – is well-known across the planet, throughout history.
Stories shared through time explain his commitment to his work and how hard to continue to push towards greatness. Which is why I was quite perplexed when I saw this quote the other day, allegedly his last words:
“I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”
Now, I’m not sure about you, but if I had achieved what he achieved over time, through multiple disciplines, I’d be giving myself a big fat pat on the back on my deathbed just looking back at what I had contributed to the world.
His comment has been widely discussed over time, so I’m not going to argue whether it was shared exactly as stated, but I’d imagine someone like Leonardo da Vinci probably did, in his own creative way, feel that his skills should have continued to grow and improve to make an even bigger mark on the world. You don’t get to a position like he did, creating masterpieces, without pushing yourself and expecting more from yourself to achieve perfection.
So, it left me with one question: Am I pushing hard enough to achieve perfection? Am I giving my all, giving absolutely everything, in the pursuit for perfection? I mean, I have the words “Don’t hold back” tattooed on my arm, so clearly, I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to achieve greatness, to achieve perfection, right?
As much as I’d love to say “Yes, I’m killing myself day in and day out to be the best version of myself I can be”, and make Leo-D proud, I can’t. It’s not the case. What I am doing, though, is ensuring that finding the balance between focusing on growing and sharing my ‘skills’ (the work stuff) as much as I can and ensuring a healthy life (the personal and family stuff), I am indeed driving towards being the best version of myself.
Too often you hear of people who stretched too hard, too far, in their pursuit to build their business or profile and leaving the other elements of their lives in their wake. It’s a choice, I accept that, but I’m not on a journey to break the rest of my priorities to focus on one.
My journey is one of balance, of alignment, and staying true to myself.
What’s yours?
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Facebook
Author Profile
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Vincent Berends is the Top 35-under-35 and founder of the Optima business group – a group of companies that bring the disciplines of accounting, administration, finance, financial planning, insurance and legal practices together, as opposed to clients having to use various professional service providers. Name: Vincent Berends (33) Region: Northern Region Job Title: Managing Partner / […]
Take charge of your digital habits and screen time and the added pressure of being available 24/7 can make you feel trapped and unsure of where to start. Do you reach for your phone without thinking about it? Do you interrupt a conversation to click on Instagram or WhatsApp the moment you see a notification […]
I may sound arrogant but since everything turned upside down in early 2020 I’ve learnt so much more about who and what I am and WHY I’M BETTER THAN YOU, so I’ve decided to be more honest with myself, as well as with those around me. Everything has changed, there’s no doubt about that, and […]
Excited to share the big news that I’ve been talking with many of you about already! The Launch You’ve Been Waiting For. How to Get Results #NoMatterWhat, It turns out there’s actually proven science around how to get results #NoMatterWhat. It’s all too clear that this is still a really tough time for many people […]
Problems, obstacles or roadblocks of some kind inevitably pop up on the way to our goals. I was recently reminded of a story about a dog and rabbit that exemplifies that oftentimes, problems may not be exactly what they seem to be on the surface. It takes courage to look deeper, even though it might […]
As a keynote speaker on the topics of leadership, connection, resilience, and relationships, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Choose Compassion Over Empathy over the past year and Why Leaders Must Choose Compassion Over Empathy. In fact, in my virtual presentations on personal connection, I quickly became aware of the buzzwords associated […]
Last month, something happened to me at an event that hasn’t happened in well over a decade and How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking. I wish it were something cool like audience members throwing money and candy at me as they cheered “Bravo!” and “Encore!” But that’s never happened, and probably never will. […]
To Lead Yourself First when Elizabeth Hurley was in college in Chicago, she worked as a waitress at my favorite pizza place in the world, Giordano’s, slinging deep-dish pizzas — and also taking great care of customers and making lots of conversation. Her ease in connecting with customers prompted many people to suggest that Elizabeth […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
