Vincent van Gogh’s journey as a largely self-taught artist shows the true power of absorbing influences to create something original. He studied Impressionist light and brushwork from Monet, the structured still lifes of Cézanne, and the bold, vibrant colors of Gauguin. He even drew inspiration from the flat, graphic beauty of Japanese printmakers. But Van Gogh didn’t simply copy. He blended, adapted, and refined these influences until his style became unmistakably his own.
This echoes the sentiment of a line widely attributed to Picasso: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” True innovation isn’t about duplication. It’s about deep study, bold experimentation, and personal transformation. Van Gogh internalized what he learned, reshaped it through his own vision, and evolved it into a raw, expressive language unique to him.
Idea for Impact: Study. Imitate. Adapt. Create. Learn from masters in any craft. Absorb their techniques through practice. Keep what resonates. Discard what doesn’t. Let influence fuel originality.
Regret is a backward-looking emotion. It’s an evaluation of past choices—regret arises from the discrepancy between what was and what could have been. Letting go of it is tough because it’s tangled with 
The critical mind 
There’s a purported Zen parable that goes like this: A seasoned thief brings his son to a wealthy man’s house in the dead of night. They sneak inside, and the father carefully guides the son through the process—finding valuables, avoiding noise, and staying hidden. At one point, while the son is inside a room, the father suddenly slams the door shut and locks him in, then loudly raises the alarm before disappearing into the shadows.
Luck isn’t merely chance—it’s about 
In the subsequent years, confronted with a surplus of repetitive safety instructions, airlines sought 
Without productive effort, purpose remains an untapped potential. Conversely, productivity devoid of purpose simply wastes time. Only when purpose