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How Long It
Took
by Alan Cohen
In the charming French resort town of Nice,
an American woman named Joan was shopping in the open-air market one morning
when she saw a man who resembled the renowned artist Pablo Picasso. As Joan
neared the elderly yet energetic fellow, she grew more certain that he was
indeed the great painter and one of her idols.
With trepidation Joan approached the man and
asked him, "Excuse me, but aren’t you Pablo Picasso?"
"That’s right," he answered softly.
Excitement began to exude from every pore of
Joan’s being. She told him, "I don’t mean to disturb you, sir, but I am one of
your biggest fans. Is there any way you would be willing to take just a few
minutes and do a simple sketch of me? I’d be happy to pay you."
Picasso stepped back a foot or two, studied
the woman’s features, and then, after appropriate deliberation, answered with a
smile, "Yes, I will."
Joan nearly swooned. Picasso picked up his
sketchpad from the foot of a fruit stand and the two walked to a nearby sidewalk
café where they claimed a quiet table off to the side. Picasso opened his pad,
reached into his jacket pocket for a small piece of charcoal, and went to work.
Fifteen minutes later he turned the pad around and showed Joan his finished
work. It was spectacular -- an authentic Picasso, and of her!
Joan took the portrait, embraced it, and
thanked the master profusely. Then she opened her purse to find her checkbook
and asked, "How much will that be?"
$5,000," Picasso answered in a matter-of-fact
way.
Joan’s jaw dropped. "$5,000? But, sir, the
picture took you only 15 minutes to draw."
"No, madam," he answered quite seriously.
"You don’t understand. The painting took me 80 years and 15 minutes to draw."
Everything you have ever done has led you to
become who and what you are today. All that you know and do is built on the
lessons that paved the way to this rich and precious moment. Every failure and
triumph you have charted; every kind heart and charlatan you have encountered;
every foray into uncharted territory and the information you gleaned, have all
contributed to your practical wisdom. You stand on the shoulders of all your
mistakes, insights, laughter, tears, and years. Indeed you are taller for it!
In the same way, all of your relationships
have led you to this point. While you might tend to cringe when you think of
your past errors in relationships, or resent the partners you are not with
anymore, you can appreciate them for the delightful moments you shared and the
lessons you learned. I heard about a couple who, during their wedding ceremony,
took the time to mention by name their past significant partners and thank them
for the gifts they had contributed to their lives. "If it weren’t for these
relationships," the couple announced, "we would not be the people we are today,
standing here together, bringing what we do to each other."
In your career, attribute proper value to the
experience that has seasoned you and your colleagues. When offering your
services or negotiating your fee or contract, take into account all the learning
that has built the skills you wield. Even if you are inexperienced in a certain
field, you can likely transfer the expertise you have gained in another arena. A
good salesman can sell anything; if you know how to sell pool supplies, selling
cars is just a matter of learning the details of the industry. Data is far
easier to learn than skill. Once you have a skill, you have it for a lifetime.
A famous story tells of a company that needed
a boiler repaired. The manager called in a boiler repairman and explained the
problem to him. With hardly a thought, the repairman walked to his toolbox and
took out a screwdriver and a screw. He walked to the boiler, opened a certain
small door, replaced the screw, and adjusted it. Immediately the boiler began to
work again.
On his way out, the repairman presented the
manager with a bill for $100. "$100?" exclaimed the manager. "All you did was
turn a screw."
"Yes," answered the repairman. "The bill can
be broken down as follows: $1 for the screw; $99 for knowing which screw to
turn."
Big things are the result of a lot of little
things. When you achieve a landmark deal in your business, meet the man or woman
of your dreams, or finally feel better after a chronic illness, you are not just
lucky and it is not a fluke. Over time and experience you have built the
consciousness to generate this shift. The change may seem to be the result of
one act or connection, but be assured that everything you have ever done has
built up to it.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
stated, "One only gets to the top rung on the ladder by steadily climbing up one
at a time, and suddenly, all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities which you
thought never belonged to you -- suddenly become within your own
possibility."
We tend to be shortsighted when it comes to
our achievements or those of others. Do not be fooled. The universe operates not
by chance, but by scientific principles. Every day, every moment, you are
building your consciousness. You are trying many different experiences on for
size, and with each one you learn more about who you are, what you want, and how
to create your life by choice. Then one day it happens. Not in fifteen minutes,
but perhaps after many years. Then you truly own it. And it is worth a lot more
than $5,000.
Previous columns
& articles by Alan Cohen.
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