One of the things I learned as a design student was how to capture the soul of a subject. The method, as described by one of my instructors, involves holding an idea or feeling at the centre of our process. As we develop our work, we move continually around this centre by exploring different visual techniques, colours, textures, and layouts to bring out the essence of the subject. Eventually, the quality we hold at the centre of our exploration begins to take shape, becoming more tangible, more concrete.  

So what does this have to do with life? Well, many people emphasize the use of thinking to create the life they desire. We have a checklist of things we'd like to accomplish. We may see our life as a collection of features, like the specs of a new phone that we want to buy. While that approach isn't without its merits, I think it's missing something important—a consideration for the quality we want our life to have. 

When I use the term quality of life, I'm referring to something other than how well we're able to meet the basic needs of living. Of course, that's important too. But the quality I'm pointing towards is something far more subtle—more subtle than the level of emotion. It is a quality of Being. 

Music, as perhaps the most abstract art form, can really capture this idea of qualities well. Films employ music to capture a particular tone or atmosphere of the story, characters and the world its depicting. The tone or atmosphere is kind of like the quality of the subject. Qualities aren't necessarily emotions, but more of a flavour that is distinctive. It's hard to describe this quality in words, but you can feel it unmistakably. Upon hearing the score, you are transported to that particular world even if your eyes remain closed. 

Our life, which is kind of like a movie, also has such qualities. When we are at our best and most authentic, we can feel a particular quality in our experience. We approach this quality by feeling rather than thinking. Often, without being conscious of this, we may try to reproduce this quality by chasing after one experience after another. We'll travel across the world in our attempts to find a specific quality again. 

Our ego wants to plan and engineer its way to happiness and fulfillment. No problem, we can just let it do its thing. At the same time, we can also hold an almost recognizable quality at the centre of our heart and mind. In the beginning, we may barely hear or perceive it. But what we put our attention on grows. Over time, as we continue moving around this centre, this quality—that conveys the essence of who we truly are—may become more tangible. We can start to hear distinct melodies and a theme. Our authentic life begins to emerge. 

Questions to reflect on 

• What are the qualities (a subtle tone or feeling) of people or things you really resonate with?

• What quality would you like to experience more of in yourself?

• When you feel like you're being your true authentic self, what quality emerges in your experience?