Category: Investing In Yourself

We align ourselves with what serves us first, so we can best serve those who we most align with second.

This is the formula forward.

Many people try to reverse this formula and align themselves with what best serves others first and then only serve themselves with whatever time/energy is left over and after the fact.

The reason this strategy doesn’t work (maybe less optimally… maybe not at all) is because serving others is an infinite and endless loop.

You could very well give every ounce of time and energy you have to the people closest to you and still be met with this black hole of insatiable needs and desires.

Not only is this incredibly exhausting and demoralizing… but debilitating.

We must remember: so long as we’re willing to give time and energy, so too will others be willing to take.

Think about it. Time and energy are our life’s most precious resources. And whenever another person gives us some of theirs, not only is it an invaluable investment but an affirmation of worth of ours.

And while this sounds like a wonderful gift to give to those closest to us, it completely disregards the person who’s closest…

Yourself.

If you aren’t willing to invest any of your most precious resources into yourself, how can you expect your ability to serve to grow? This is no different than an investment account.

No continued investments? No continued growth. Plain and simple.

And the time to invest isn’t after all of your money has been spent. It’s first and foremost—automatically preferably—so that your growth is guaranteed irrespective of the “market conditions” of those whom you’re most aligned to serve.

I’ve been trying this new strategy where, every Sunday, I set aside a few hours to deep clean/revamp one specific room.

This week it was my work room.

Not only did I declutter my desk, throw away a ton of crap, rearrange the furniture/decor, and give everything a good wipe down… but, I also bought and installed this clean, 5-tier floating corner bookshelf.

Why? Because I like the way it looks plus it’ll give me more room to organize the crap I don’t want to throw away.

And here’s the thing… liking the way things look and feel in your environment improves the way you feel and look at things while in it.

The degree to which this is true varies person to person. Some people seem to be strongly affected by the environment’s look and feel and some seem to carry on irrespective of it.

But, in my observation, seemingly unaffected doesn’t mean unaffected.

In my own life, I’ll occasionally recognize a psychological weight that’s being held by a task I’m leaving undone. One I keep putting off, that I know I’m putting off, that requires a little more time than I usually have, which is the excuse I always use, that results in this drag that, when I notice it, definitely affects the way I feel.

And then there are times when I walk into a room—like my work room after my work on it—and instantly notice a lightness… an excitement… a sense of relief… which, I know continues even after I’ve become used to the changes.

This is all to say: take care of your environment and your environment will take care of you.

First, I make a small checkmark next to passages that resonate. This is the only kind of marking I use while reading.

Then, when finished, I re-read all of the checked passages and upload the best ones to MoveMe Quotes—my quote website that houses all of the best things I’ve read since October of 2010.

Finally, once I finish uploading all of the checked passages from the book, I create a list that presents all of them in both a coherent and personalized way. While making the lists, the first unique thing I do is organize quotes based on how they read—not based on page number. I try to present the ideas in a way that flows as one is read to the next… as though the quotes were being read as a book summary in their own right. Then, I add my own thoughts to the collection. I’ll write an introduction, provide necessary context, and connect resources at the end. Once it’s finished, I’ll snap a picture of me holding the book in front of my bookshelf and publish it for all to see—for free.

Why do all of this?

Sure it feels good to be the creator of a helpful resource. But, even more so, because it feels good to understand—to more deeply understand—the things I’ve read. And for each step that’s taken beyond reading, an invaluable layer of comprehension is added.

If you want to really get the full juice out of each book you read, one squeeze (from one read) isn’t enough. It’s the re-squeeze, the re-grip and re-squeeze again, capped off with a double-handed squeeze that makes the real difference.

Are you angry? Or are you overtired and just need a nap?

Are you anxious? Or are you pent up and just need to get some exercise?

Are you arrogant? Or are you distracted and just need to practice gratitude?

Are you sluggish? Or are you dehydrated and just need to drink more water?

Are you alone? Or are you expecting everybody else to take the initiative and haven’t sent out any invitations yourself or signed up for any new group activities?

Are you depressed? Or are you spending too much time on social media comparing yourself to others and just need to delete your accounts or have a screen fast?

It may not be as simple as that. But, in many cases—it is.

This is a reminder to stay on top of the basics.

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P.s. I also published: To My Daughter. [Excerpt]

Every day I exercise… is a good day.

Because the fact that I exercised means that I (1) showed up for myself, (2) won the battle against my unrelenting, comfort-seeking ego, and (3) invested in a better, future me.

…And this is no small feat.

Even if all else goes to crap and I fail at whatever else I try throughout the day… I know I can at least lean on that.

…Which is no small realization.

If you agree, consider doing three things with this:

1. Exercise every day—in some capacity. Intensity can (and should) vary. Because having a solid pillar of “good” holding up the weight of your day is always a good idea.
2. Celebrate exercise in bigger ways. Even if it “wasn’t much” that you did. Because the difference between “not much” and none is WAY BIGGER than the difference between “not much” and “a whole ton.” (Read that again)
3. Make exercise easier. Everything in society tells you to make it harder—because harder leads to quicker results—which is completely accurate. But, you know what leads to the best results? Exercise you do long-term, consistently, and in a way you actually enjoy. And the best way to accomplish all three of those things… is to make it easier. Both to show up for and to do.

Inner work can be exhausting.

Like changing a car’s battery.

But, once it’s done… it provides a source of sustainable energy that far exceeds what an almost dead battery could ever provide. As it is when we introspectively explore and update/change a fundamental component of our inner workings—exhausting at first, life-giving later.

Which isn’t to say inner work is a one-and-done process.

Like a car’s battery, it still needs to be recharged—which happens, counterintuitively enough, via driving. This works the same for us when we move our bodies, minds, and spirits by exercising, writing, meditating, etc. Movement, as it turns out, is how we keep ourselves charged—not depleted—with energy.

To be clear, we still need to sleep—this isn’t the kind of energy we’re talking about. What we’re talking about is the energy you get to use inside of your days after sleep—your vitality.

And if you want to raise your vibration and engage with more enthusiasm, you’ll have to invest a solid chuck of energy upfront. There is no way around this. But, once you do, and you give yourself a full night of sleep for it take, you’ll rise with a higher baseline of energy that wasn’t accessible before… that you can use to move and recharge even more… that you can use to FULLY engage with life.

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P.s. I asked: How much awake time do you spend each day unplugged? Hoping the answer(s) might get you to have a think…