The ‘if’ thinker broods over a difficulty or a setback. The ‘how’ thinker wastes no energy on postmortem when trouble or even disaster hits him.  He immediately starts looking for the best solution.” –Norman Vincent Peale

Most of you probably knew this.. about Rodin’s famous statue  ”The Thinker” , but I didn’t learn it until age 45.   The statue depicts a man whose right elbow is touching his left knee… which ironically, viewed without much thought is meaningless.  But when attempted physically this pose feels pretty unnatural.  In fact when you try it(and I have)… it’s hard to do….or at least uncomfortable.  Like thinking it requires effort…and can be uncomfortable especially when it may be about the things we need to change or do differently.  Wonderful symbolism.

Then even hard still – is moving from the thinking stage to the doing stage.  Execution….heck that’s like doing YOGA and placing your right ankle behind your left ear. 

A tiny bit more about Rodin’s – The Thinker

Auguste Rodin conceptualized ‘The Thinker’ in 1880, enlarged it between 1902 and 1904, and finally cast it in 1925. It is not only Rodin’s most famed work of art, but possibly also the world’s most recognized statue. ‘The Thinker’ is a breathtaking glimpse in human nature. This muscular, bronze man, sitting atop a large rock, resting his right elbow on his left knee, and leaning his head upon his hand, is undoubtedly thinking. Even if you did not know the title of this piece, you would instantly deduce from his posture, his intense facial expression, and the sculptor’s remarkable technique in producing body language, that the figure is pondering a weighty issue. ‘The Thinker’ leaves a long-lasting impression in every viewer’s mind.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thinker

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