Life is Art
by Jim Rohn

In my years of teaching people to be successful , I have observed that people basically break their lives down into two major parts: wealth-building and the rest of their lives. Having reflected on these topics— wealth and life —for some time, I have now reached some new conclusions...

Until recently, I thought there should be a significant difference in how we tackle the two areas. Indeed, I thought the two topics should be addressed in almost opposite fashion.

You see, wealth-building is just math. While life is art.

Think back to high school. Most of us were required to take math and most of us probably took art as well.

Now, think about your final exams in the two areas. Your math paper was graded on hard facts:

Seven plus seven is always fourteen;
Ten times ten is always one hundred; and
Fifty minus twenty-five is always twenty-five.

There is only one correct answer in math. The answer is hard fact, set in stone. Math is a science. It is formulaic. You can know the outcome before it happens, every time.

But what about your final art project? Art is much more subjective. "Beauty," they say, "is in the eye of the beholder." There is no one right answer...

Think of the different styles of the famous artists: Renoir. Monet. Picasso. Different people find different styles beautiful, and that is what makes art, art.

So how does this fit with wealth-building and life? Wealth-building is like math:

If you add $1,000 to your retirement account each month, and earn seven percent interest over twenty years, you can calculate exactly how much you will have. Because it is math. If you buy a rental property for $200,000 today, and it increases in value by five percent a year, you know exactly how much you will be able to sell it for in ten years. The beauty of math is in the knowing. You can work the system, and set it on auto-pilot; the math does the work for you, and you know the outcome.

But life? Life is art. And that is the beauty of life. You do not know how it is going to turn out. Life, like art, is always changing. Different people provide different colors. When you make a mistake you can go back, erase it or even paint right over it. You can change the scenery. Life, like art, is ever evolving, and what looks good to one person is of no interest to another. And that is what makes life beautiful.

The lesson I think we can learn is that life isn't made up of just wealth-building. Wealth-building should only serve our ability to live our lives. Jesus, the master teacher, said our lives are not made up of the abundance of our possessions. I don't think he meant possessions aren't important, just that wealth isn't what life is all about.

So let me ask you: Are you spending more time on your math or your art? Personally, I believe that everyone should do their very best on their wealth-building plan so they can take care of themselves and their families...

And yet, life is about the art...

What does your canvas look like? What kind of picture are you painting? Take your time, make bold strokes, use brilliant colors, and make of your life the most beautiful masterpiece you can.

Remember, do your math so you can focus on your art!

To Your Success,

Jim Rohn

P.S. These programs will teach you exactly how to create the life your really want: ART, BBL.

© 2007 by Jim Rohn International. All Rights Reserved.

About the author: Jim Rohn (September 17, 1930 — December 5, 2009) was considered to be America's Foremost Business Philosopher, with a career that spanned over 40 years and touched the lives of over four million people worldwide. Internationally hailed as one of the most influential thinkers of our time, Rohn helped motivate an entire generation of personal development trainers as well as hundreds of executives from America's top corporations.

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