131The more conscious we are of our freedom to paint
whatever we want on our canvas, the less we go through
life as a victim of circumstances. Many of us aren’t even
aware of our own victim status. We read whatever’s on
the coffee table, listen to whatever’s on the car radio,
eat whatever’s handy, scan whatever’s on the Internet,
talk to whomever calls us on the phone, and watch
whatever’s on the television—often too passive to even
click the remote control.
We must be aware that we have it in us to change all
that. We can paint our day our way. The best time man-
agement—or “day-painting”—course I ever took was
taught by Dennis Deaton. His seminar’s main point is that
we can’t manage time—we can only manage ourselves.
“Clear the clutter from your mind,” Deaton says,
“and remove the obstacles to greater success.”
While most time management courses feel like
courses in engineering, Deaton has captured the spirit
of the artist in his teaching. His prescriptions for man-
aging your day all stem from goal-creation and living
the visions you create.
Wake up and visualize your day as a blank canvas.
Ask yourself, “Who’s the artist today? Blind circum-
stance, or me? If I choose to be the artist, how do I want
to paint my day?”
61. Swim laps underwater
When Bobby Fisher prepared for his world champi-
onship chess match with Boris Spassky, he prepared by
swimming laps underwater every day.
He knew that as the chess matches wore on into the
late hours, the player with the most oxygen going to his
brain would have the mental advantage. So he built his
chess game by building his lungs.
Paint your masterpiece today