#A May 18

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I finished reading a book last week called The Art of Possiblity 

The book is a fabulous read that helped me grow. One of the lessons is that you assign the letter “A” as a grade to all the people you interact with.

You imagine that each individual is enrolled in course you are teaching and you control the final grade. You give the grade before they finish the course. In fact you even assign yourself an “A”. This concept can apply to any relationship from someone taking your fast food order to the CEO of Fortune 500 Company.

The premise is based on a thought attributed to the Italian artist Michelangelo.

Michelangelo believed that inside of every block of marble you can find a wonderful statue. The secret according to him was that the artist has to work diligently on removing the excess material to reveal the individualized masterpiece or the “A”.

The book made me realize that I grade people in the present. I give them a score using some societal standard measurement. What I should be doing is expending relationship energy on respecting them which becomes the chisel that chips away at what is covering up each person unique skills, mastery, or self expression. This concept can also be applied to the relationship I have with myself.

There is a passage of the book that I have highlighted below that I wanted to share.

“The “A” is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into”