A naked man stands in the middle of an old museum in Italy.
He has been seen in all his glory by millions, even billions of people. And his name is known around the world.
When people speak of him, they usually mention his dads name in the same breath.
Guessed who they are yet?
Seventeen feet tall, and 12,000 pounds in weight, I speak of the one and only...
Michelangelo's David.
Most people have heard of this statue, but few people know that it was built to represent man in his perfect form. Earning the little-known title of "The Ideal Man."
A balance of beauty, strength and health all whilst holding a pose with ease and grace. It was and still is praised as an artistic masterpiece.
People asked Michelangelo how he was able to sculpt such beauty from a massive boulder. Which Donatello, (another famous artist, not the famous turtle) had earlier abandoned working with due to a fault in the stone.
Michelangelo said "[David] is there, locked inside. All you have to do is remove the excess stone."
The lesson I take from this, and the reason I'm sharing it with you is simple.
When it comes to improving our lives we usually rush to add things in to our already busy lives. This can create even more noise, and make it harder to focus on what's important. When often times the answer is to remove the excess.
What are you currently doing in your life that's not serving you?
What old habits could be holding you back from you getting what you really want?
Michelangelo's David teaches us that we can reach our own ideal, not by adding more, but by taking away.
If you want help removing some of the excess and learning what to really focus on, comment below or let me know.
P.S.
The outraged queen was Queen Victoria. She was gifted a replica and was so shocked by Davids, ahh manhood, that she had a leaf plastered over it.
