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Every now and then go away,

have a little relaxation,

for when you come back

to your work

your judgement will be surer;

since to remain constantly at work

will cause you to lose power

of judgement…

Go some distance away

because the work appears smaller

and more of it

can be taken in at a glance,

and a lack of harmony

or proportion

is more readily seen.

LEONARDO DA VINCI

(1452–1519)

Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, mathematician, and scientist, Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest intellects in the history of mankind.

When a man such as Leonardo da Vinci gives advice, I for one am willing to listen with fixed attention. He has been called by many historians the man with the most inquiring mind of all time. Now that’s quite a compliment! His accomplishments were prodigious, and he is often credited with being the initiator of the Renaissance, which moved man out of the Dark Ages.

Leonardo saw mystery everywhere and delved deep to understand it. He studied the earth, the sky, and the heavens. He recorded the movement of stars and drew up plans for flying machines four hundred years before the first airplane. He was an architect and a consummate artist who plunged into the study of nature and human personality. His portraits of faces were more skillful than had ever been seen before or since, embodying a reality that captured every essence of his subjects. Volumes of books have been written on the magnificence of just his painting The Last Supper. No subject escaped Leonardo’s inquiry, and in this piece of advice quoted above, he offers you a tool for your own creative outlets as well.

When you consider the sheer amount of creative work that Leonardo da Vinci amassed in his lifetime, you might conjure up a picture of a workaholic, Type A person who never did anything but paint, sculpt, and invent, every waking moment of his life. Yet his advice is quite to the contrary, and it is my conclusion as well. This original Renaissance man is advising us to escape from the daily routine and go some distance away to become more efficient and productive.

It seems to me that highly productive people have a great sense of balance and harmony in their lives. They are thoroughly familiar with pacing and knowing when to retreat and clear their heads of the immediate concerns. The key word here is “balance.” To avoid being consumed by anything, you must be able to walk away from it. In the process of walking away, you begin to see your work, or family, or project from a perspective that “appears smaller,” according to Leonardo.

Leaving a fixed point and then glancing back at it does indeed cause the point to appear smaller. But from a distance you can actually take in more of that point, in one swift glance. Thus any weaknesses or flaws can be spotted in an instant. Even though Leonardo may be speaking as an artist, his advice is applicable today, irrespective of what your life work might be.

I have found Leonardo’s advice to be applicable to me in my work of writing and speaking, as well as in other projects. When I leave my research and the yellow legal pads that I write on to go for a long-distance run, or simply go away for several days, almost magically everything seems clearer on my return. I am amazed by the insights I receive when I let go of my work. They seem to pop into my head in the moments when I am least connected to or attached to the outcome. The great Renaissance master is telling us to let go, relax, don’t try so hard, remove the struggle and allow our natural divine guidance to assist us. He says, “have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer.” One way to do this in today’s world is to learn to meditate before you undertake any serious pursuit, be it a plan for conducting a business meeting, going on a job interview, giving a lecture, or painting a portrait. The very act of allowing yourself to go into a meditative state will improve your efficiency enormously. In the past ten years I have never gone before an audience without first spending a minimum of an hour (usually more) alone, in a state of meditation. When I emerge from my relaxing meditation, I find that I can walk on stage or pick up my pen with a sense of confidence that I am connected to a higher part of myself that knows no fear. I become an observer of myself doing the work, and everything seems to flow as if the hand of God is guiding my tongue or my pen.

In the process of getting some distance between yourself and your work, and relaxing into that space, you are inviting divine intervention into your activity. The less stress you place on yourself to accomplish or complete a task, ironically you seem to gain the power to do just that. When you are detached from the outcome you are in process, and you are allowing the outcome to take care of itself. You can see this principle at work in activities of pleasure.

For example, on a dance floor your objective is not to end up at a particular place on the floor. In dancing the object is to enjoy the dance, and where you end up is left to the process of dancing. Similarly, at a concert, your purpose is not to get to the end of the music, but to enjoy each moment of the concert. Getting to the end is of no concern when you are in process. Think of eating a banana. What is the purpose? To get from one end to the other? Or to enjoy each bite? This is true with virtually anything. When we relax and let go, we can get naturally lost in the process, and magically the end result appears.

Leonardo da Vinci encourages us to have balance in our lives, regardless of our pursuits. By all means’ get involved in your activities, but try to enjoy them for what they are, rather than the final outcome. Moreover, be willing to walk away from an activity when you feel your judgment is out of harmony or proportion. By doing so you gain perspective, and paradoxically you sharpen rather than lose your creative power.

To put this advice of the original Renaissance man to work in your life:

 Practice detaching from outcome in your work and projects. Be in the moment enjoying your activities for the sheer joy of the action, rather than how they will turn out.

 Walk away from your work from time to time to do nothing. No time restraints, no deadlines, no alarm clocks, in fact no clocks at all. Just let yourself be and notice how free you feel. This kind of distancing without restraints will bring you back to your work with new vigor and much sharper judgment.

 Do what I do frequently if I ever feel stuck. I simply turn the entire thing over to God. I say, “I don’t know what to do at this point and I feel stuck for answers, I am asking you to guide me in resolving this problem.” It may sound simplistic but it always seems to work. The answers come and clarity is restored when I ask God to help me.

 Remember that one of the greatest achievers of all time, in a myriad of endeavors, advises you to “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation.” If there is anyone whose advice I would follow, it is the original Renaissance man.