The Meaning Of Life Is To Find Your Gift

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The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) was a Spanish painter known as the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, and one of the three artists who most defined the revolutionary developments in the plastic arts. Among his significant developments are the co-founding of the Cubist movement and the co-invention of collage. He became widely acclaimed for the 1907 proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and the 1937 Guernica which portrayed the Bombing of Guernica by the Italian and German forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Knowing his strengths, passion, and limitations made Picasso a legend. He focused on one thing until he became the best of that field, much like other great people in history. Dubbed as the “secret ingredient,” this highly developed sense of self-awareness is what makes successful people different from the majority.

But of course it’s easier said than done, and it helps having encouraging parents like Picasso, whose mom used to tell him, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll end up as the pope.” Even as Picasso struggled as a student, his parents recognized his talent as an artist and supported the life that he wanted instead of forcing him to be someone he’s not. This world would have been deprived of a Picasso.

Finding one’s special talent may be easy, but working on it is the real challenge. Obstacles will arise out of nowhere, urging you to quit and find an easier but less satisfying option. It is up to you.