Invest in what you care about

About a week or two ago, I heard Jason Calacanis say at the end of a podcast say, "In this down turned economy, the best investment you can make is in yourself. Use this moment to study, work on and renew yourself. That's when you have your best opportunity to create something really exceptional."

On a similar note, I heard Gary Vaynerchuk when he was speaking on "Building Your Personal Brand" at Web 2.0. He started his taking by saying "There are way too many people in this room right now, doing stuff that they hate. Please stop doing that. There is no reason in 2008 to do stuff that you hate. None!" He went on to say, "Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, what to you want to do everyday for the rest of your life." Invest in what you care about.

By going to Choboji for Autumn Sesshin, it provided me a way of short circuiting some patterns, of behavior and thinking. Though I was functioning okay, before going to Sesshin (trans. To gather the Mind), I found out that I had stopped thinking and feeling on certain levels. I realized that I've been doing some things that I hated, because it seemed easier not to "rock the boat." But what I've come to realize is that by not doing what I love, I've been abusing myself on many levels.

How many times do we think that we have to live this particular lifetime? This is our life. This is our now. This is our moment. It's probably helpful to build a sense of urgency in terms of making investments in ourselves and the life that we would like to create.

When I was a kid and used to play baseball, my coach gave me some valuable advice. He said, "when someone hits you a grounder, don't wait for the ball, go to the ball. That might help us give us some better opportunities." Perhaps what Coach Nelms was also saying was, "don't wait for your life to happen to you, It's probably better that you go to it."

If we are not engaged in actions that bring us to a truer expression of ourselves (e.g. actualizing Buddha nature) and what we love, then where are our actions (mis-)leading us? It's better that we invest in what we care about.

Namaste'

Jaye Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO