“OK, but I’m never going to be a professional athlete! I need to go pro in something other than sports at this point in my life.”

Philosophical Engineering

“And there are many ways for you to do that. You learned that there are twenty-six letters in the alphabet, twelve notes in music, and three primary colors. But look at what great authors have done designing textbooks and stories with those boring twenty-six letters. Look at what great composers have played with those boring twelve notes. Look at what great painters do with those three colors. Even look at what an architect does with a simple line: designs an entire city.

“When we compose our song and dance, it might seem boring to other people, but do you think Tiger Woods or LeBron James would ever tell you what they play in life is boring?”

“Probably not. They are such great athletes who win all the time!”

“The problem has been that we are told to wait for an assignment to be given to us before we use these elements that we have learned and practiced. And even then, the questions just ask you to repeat these boring facts or techniques as a fill-in-the-blank or pick from the multiple-choice responses. They never ask you about the vision of what can be done with these elements—how a house builder can see beyond the boring pile of bricks to make a house. How a musician takes those boring notes and makes a song. How Tiger Woods doesn’t just hit a golf ball for the sake of hitting the golf ball, but creates a vision for how his shot is hit toward the hole.”

Rooted in Value Chapter Excerpt from The Impression of a Good Life: Philosophical Engineering