Track The Time Blog

I recently returned from 3 weeks in Italy and while visiting the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican I was struck by how quickly the ceiling had been painted. Only 4 years! It really made me think about how many people go about their lives hating their jobs, working for people they don’t like, and not really doing anything meaningful.

You know what’s most interesting? It was one of the first painting projects that Michelangelo had ever done. Yeah, seriously isn’t that amazing? Of course he was well known for his abilities with sculpture — a sculptor with little painting experience.

So the lesson to be learned is to always do what you love, and do your best.

Continue Reading:

• Sistine Chapel on Wikipedia
• Sistine set-up: the 500-year-old art mystery -– a sculptor with little painting experience.
• Michelangelo on Wikipedia

“It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” — Henry Ford

Via Brian Shaler

“The key is to just get on the bike, and the key to getting on the bike…is to stop thinking about “there are a bunch of reasons i might fall off” and just hop on and peddle the damned thing. You can pick up a map, a tire pump, and better footwear along the way.”
– Dick Costolo, Founder of Feedburner.com

James Dyson created thousands of prototype vacuums over 15 years before he was satisfied with his product. In an aptly named article titled Failure Doesn’t Suck, Dyson recounts how he created the product and his thoughts on failure.

I made 5127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5126 failures. But I learned from each one. That’s how I came up with a solution. So I don’t mind failure. I’ve always thought that schoolchildren should be marked by the number of failures they’ve had. The child who tries strange things and experiences lots of failures to get there is probably more creative.

– Sir James Dyson

I found this quote and had to share it:

Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.

– Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect. (1864-1912)