It’s easy to lose our sense of meaning when our fear of uncertainty keeps us stuck in old habits and routine cycles. But we can change this by rethinking and becoming mindful about our investments—by investing in ourselves, our creativity, and our personal and professional growth. If you’re feeling bored, uninspired, or fearful of regret, it may be time to disrupt your “comfortable” life and start investing in yourself and your growth.
Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.
Terence McKenna
Groundhog Day. In a few hours, Punxsutawney Phil will emerge from his tree stump and predict whether or not we have six more weeks of winter.
Thanks to the popular 1993 film starring Bill Murray, Groundhog Day also connotes to us the pain of living the same day over and over again.
Years ago, watching the movie was something of a revelation to me. I had thought I wanted more predictability, a greater ability to see around corners and avoid disappointments, mistakes, and uncertainty.
A cozy life of knowing how it was all going to turn out.
I realized that that kind of life would be not only the most boring existence imaginable but would also be a life devoid of creating, engaging with the world, and enjoying the ability to leave a mark that positively shaped and impacted future generations.
Take a moment right now to do a quick self-assessment. Has life for you become the same day over and over? Do you find yourself repeating the same thoughts, habits, and choices? Are you frustrated with your lack of progress toward achieving what it is you truly want?
Do you harbor a fear that you will come to the end of your life not having contributed something indelible, or positively shaped the world?
If so, it may be time to pause and rethink your personal investments.
Redefining Your Investments: Investing in Yourself
Money isn’t everything, but misaligned or mindless financial investments can get us stuck in a cycle of disengagement and leave us feeling disempowered.
However, when we bring mindfulness to our investments, we empower ourselves to take ownership of our lives—of our personal, professional, and creative meaning-making.
Mindful investing is about aligning your investments with positive outcomes that matter to you. It’s thinking: how can I contribute to meaningfully to personal, social, and environmental change that matters to me?
It’s about investing in yourself and in your personal growth.
Investing in yourself means exploring innovative ways to nurture your mind, tap into your innate creativity, and unlock doors to unparalleled success.
Investing in yourself isn’t just about financial wellbeing, it’s about elevating your life—ending your Groundhog Days and creating a new way of moving in the world.
Why Investing In Yourself Is Essential
Life does not need to be devoid of color, excitement, and impact.
While our brains are aces at creating terrifying images of chasms filled with gremlins, unspeakable loss, and painful predictions, we can choose to think and act differently.
When we call ourselves home. As we peer over the edge, we often find the worst-case scenario imaginable is not only survivable but is a gentle landing that leads us to where we want to go (even if we do not consciously know where that is yet).
What you’ll notice as you start investing in yourself is that chance encounters, experiences, and new insights seem to come out of the woodwork and transform us anew.
This is why investing in yourself is essential.
Investing in our personal growth helps us discern the edges of the chasm. Know what is real and what is brain baloney. Amp up our willingness to tolerate uncertainty.
And perhaps most importantly, investing in yourself generates the courage required to make the bold moves to create what we crave while also effecting positive change in the world.
