A project left unfinished

In 1482, Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to create the largest equestrian statue the world had ever seen in honor of his father. A project Leonardo worked on for more than a decade, but never completed.

Leonardo attacked this task like he attacked all his others—with tenacious rigor or Ostinato Rigore as he would have said. This meant he spent hours studying the anatomy of horses, from the shape of their muscles to the curve of their hooves.

He also spent countless hours studying the technical process of creating a bronze statue, learning everything he could about the medium. Then, finally, after 11 years of work, Leonardo had created a clay sculpture of the horse. All that was left to do was sculpt the figure into a towering bronze statue.

But then, war came calling, and all the available bronze was used in the war effort. Da Vinci’s sculpture would never come to be, and his clay model was destroyed over the years. Over a decade of work and nothing to show for it.

Except that’s not how Leonardo felt.

Leonardo was devoted to mastery, and he knew that meant he had to put in the work to achieve it. For him, he didn’t waste 11 years. He gained valuable skills, knowledge, and experiences that would shape his life journey and his pursuit of mastery.

The Lesson

Mastery isn’t about the end goal. It’s not achieved by one or even multiple events. Mastery is the continuous pursuit of excellence; the persistence to study and dive into a topic so deep you could never imagine completing your quest for knowledge. The project isn’t the purpose; the process is the purpose.

In fact, due to Leonardo’s meticulous note-taking and brilliant sketches, his statue has been brought to life across the globe by artists throughout history who relied on his work for inspiration.

We can all learn from Leonardo’s approach by focusing on our effort. Mastering our processes and seeking to produce valuable work for its own sake, not external validation or reward.

Could you spend 11 years working only to leave a project unfinished?

A simple question

Until next time,

Rick