70. Why do we work

The question is not about what our job is but what service is our soul committed to?

When we dull down what we are doing we justify how we are not satisfied, we don’t ask ourselves the hard questions like:

- Are we proud of where we are?

- Are we working hard, or hardly working?

- Are we making a difference?

We can easily just drift on by in life, work, and relationships. But to actually make a difference we must;

“Be uncommon amongst uncommon people”.

By definition, the difference is having a dissimilarity.

This is easier said than done. Going on the journey where none have gone before requires innovation, self-belief, and a deep sense of purpose.

You must know why you are being dissimilar as you can get bogged down comparing yourself to others and where they are at.

“Normality is a paved road: it’s comfortable to walk but no flowers grow there” - Vincent Van Gogh.

The temptation is to fall in love with the suffering. To see the difference as something good, to isolate yourself more, to make the path more uncomfortable as you think that’s ‘what you have to do’.

Yet, this is against the entire purpose of our work- service. This requires being in the world and on the frontline, but not all the time.

Discernment is required to know when you need to jump into the action, remove yourself, and ultimately when you need to knuckle down and when to rest.

“Sometimes you need to disconnect in order to better connect with yourself and the people you serve and love”- Ryan Holiday

Dive deep into that unrelenting knowledge that your soul will forever be unsatisfied unless you try that business, ask that question, or go to that place. Yet, do it in a retreat. Have a purpose in your intensity. Work hard, then play hard. Know your people, know your rest, know your distraction.

Get uncomfortable- it means your doing it right.

69. From above- a poem

I wake up and don’t know where I am.

I look down from what seems to be a balcony and see some people; but these

people are so small.

My life looks so much bigger and better.

But how did I get here,

I can’t even remember?

I’m glad I’ve got this luxury but there’s something missing;

it is a bit lonely up here.

I should probably see how how the others are doing.

But what if they get angry at me because I’m bigger; no, they’d never do that

I need to stop overthinking.

Let me head down the elevator.

Urgh this is scary,

but I mean what other options do I have?

I step out the doors and am in disbelief.

We are all the same- but not the same, I see small details that make

everyone special.

I’m not this superior being, and do you know what

I’m quite relieved.

Now all there is to do is go and speak to them.

68. A different look at investing

NFTs, Bitcoin, and stocks are all useless unless you first invest in yourself.

When you invest in all these various currencies you are betting on something external to go in your favour; you may be lucky, you may know a thing or two, but at the end of the day it is out of your control.

Flip that around to invest in yourself and you instantly improve your life overall. The machine that operates your existence has just levelled up- that’s surely preferable to be investing in someone else’s machine.

• Invest in the ability to get the initial capital

• Invest in the development of your skills and talents in gaining money

• Invest in the understanding of saving

Investing aggressively into yourself and your business looks odd in the short term as diminishes profits- however, it raises your potential earnings, and efficiency to get there as you have newfound knowledge.

We can see this apparent in big companies such as Tesla. They were seen to be losing money for years because of their continual investment in their technology and development. They continued with this tactic though as wanted to make the gap of knowledge between them and their competitors so big that people wouldn’t even dare attempt to challenge them- yet from the outside, they looked to be failing.

It is adopting a long term mindset rather than giving in to the short term gratification of showing off wealth.

When we compare this to that of investing elsewhere- you are fuelling someone else’s venture.

Why would you prefer that?

High risk and reward investments also require a lot of time and research- this again steals your focus from your active investments.

You will be distracted from your initial money makers and won’t have the ability to develop or even continue the growth of your own business.

So what is the alternative?

Invest only when you have reached a competent level in your personal and professional life.

Focus on ways to get money to work for you rather than you for it, eg Index Funds.

Be a continuous student prioritising the development of yourself rather than delegating resources elsewhere.

Best wishes in your investing journey.

P.S- For those whose blood is boiling, this is not financial advice- these are just my opinions on what I will be doing. Go and lose some money on some Etherium and then come back to me;)