The Renaissance Project is designed as a gift to all those people who, when asked, “What do you want to do with your life?”, find themselves thinking, “I want to do it all!”
The problem is, of course, it’s impossible to “do it all”.
But maybe it’s possible to come close! It seems to me that the Renaissance men of times long gone gave it a good shot. My favorites are Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Jefferson. (I know; Jefferson was not born during The Renaissance, but he certainly fits the description of a Renaissance Man.)
Their interests ranged over both sides of the brain from gardening to engineering, from politics to art , from athletics to architecture. They had unbounded curiosity. The skills they developed were fantastic.
One problem, of course: They were both geniuses and most of us are not. But so what? Perhaps we cannot hope to be their equals, but we can certainly have a shot at doing everything we are capable of. And that’s probably a great deal more than we think.
I think there is a methodology for living the Renaissance Life. A set of actions, skills, disciplines – I’ve called them the Renaissance Practices for now – that will help us live like Leonardo and Jefferson.
During this year, 2010, I will follow the principles outlined on The Renaissance Project website (www.renaissance-personal-development.com) and I’ll let you know how it goes.
Here are the nine Renaissance Practices:
- Get Organized
- Work Smart
- Get Fit
- Find Meaning
- Wake Up (Get Centered)
- Cultivate Courage (Practice Discipline)
- Be Curious
- Become and Artist
- Do The Improbable
Learn more about the Practices, why I chose them and how they work by clicking here: www.renaissance-personal-development.com.
This is a real-time experiment to understand what it takes to live a Renaissance life intentionally. The blog will share daily updates and thoughts; the website will offer resources, more in-depth discussions , connections to interesting people and ideas, and the opportunity for you to join the Project.
If you long to live the Renaissance life, bookmark the blog and stay tuned. It should get interesting.
Bill Finlay
