Since moving onto McNutt’s Island last year, my wife, Anne, and I have been renovating our 19th century home.  It was not “home” to begin with.  It needed a lot of loving restoration.  After nearly a year of work, I am in the painting stage.  Morning, noon and night, I paint.  Walls, trim, furniture, floors.  Nothing escapes my determined brush.

I am discovering that there is an art to painting, especially when it comes to the fine work of trim and edges.  A steady eye and hand is required, and what seems to help is keeping my eye in front of where I am painting.

Specifically, when the line to be painted must be accurate, you have to keep your eye on the point toward which you paint.  By doing this, your painting hand will automatically go to the end point in one clean line.  If, instead, your eye is on  your painting hand, your line will go astray and you will ultimately spend needless energy correcting your mistakes.

I know what you are thinking: Thanks for the unsolicited advice on house painting.  I’ll keep it in mind the next time I feel like remodelling. 

But wait, there may be a larger lesson here.

Keeping our eye on where we are headed as opposed to where we are may help us do better at both.  The spiritualist Jon Kabat Zinn ascribes as much in his book, Wherever you go, there you are.
 
If in life we sense that our lines are not clean and we are straying, it may be that we have lost focus or that we don’t have a clear end point or goal in sight.  We are so caught up in immediate tasks and distractions that we have lost sight of our more important destination points.  Taking time to focus on what we would like ultimately to achieve for ourselves can not only help us get there but also enhance the journey. 

Here’s a simple daily or weekly exercise: 

Choose a time that works best for you.  (Some people prefer the morning time before the family is up and around.)  Think about your goals for the day or week.  If it helps, write them down and post them where you will see them.  Visualize yourself at the end of the day or week, happy and content with your accomplishments.  Take a moment to savor this image.  Return to this image periodically as a means of reinforcement.  Some persons say this imaging helps them through the drearier parts of their routine.  Above all, keep your eyes in front of you, at your point of destination. 

You may find that your hand grows steadier, your lines straighter.  Missteps will diminish as well as the time spent repairing them.  You will move through your day or week with greater ease.  And in the end, you’ll be able to step back and admire the artfulness of your effort and crispness of your line.