If you don't go within, you go without
Farrah Gray/NNPA Columnist
Issue date: 1/18/09 Section: Business
I've talked about the idea of investing in yourself in many of my articles.
I want to reiterate this point, even at the expense of repetition. It's not always easy to invest in ourselves. There's a lot at risk when we put ourselves out there emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But these human elements are part of the success equation.
While we like to think we are investing in ourselves every day, the truth to the matter is we don't. All too often we let the poison of everyday life-the stress, the bills, the bosses, other people's vision, and the craziness of a 24-7 society-take over and rot our motivation and inspiration to move closer to our goals and dreams.
We don't take time to read and learn new things; we don't permit ourselves to have a time-out so we can give back to ourselves through rest and relaxation; and we don't stop to feed ourselves the kind, cheerful words we want to hear from that voice inside. Instead, we let life lull us into a robotic, semi-complacent state where we don't have access to our dreams and goals.
This is when you begin hearing, "I can't, I can't," play over and over again with no end in sight. I can't go to the gym. I can't start my own business. I can't think about another career. I can't get out of debt. I can't go back to school. I can't find my purpose. I can't be rich. I can't. I can't. I can't…
Here's what I have to say about that: YES YOU CAN. If you don't go within, you go without. You deserve to get to where you want to be, period. Consider this: If your personal bank account is worth billions, imagine what you would be able to materialize in your outer world. But if your personal inventory is low-and you are not doing the things you love, guess what. You probably won't be rich by any stretch of that world.
Like the old saying goes, life is not a dress rehearsal. This is the one life you are given so you best show up for yourself first. When I meet some people who get a little defensive when I ask them if they are happy and operating at 100 percent and they brusquely respond, "Yeah, I'm happy," I don't believe them. And if they are not lying to themselves they are lying to somebody. We all possess parts of ourselves that we would like to enhance. If not, we wouldn't be human.
I want to reiterate this point, even at the expense of repetition. It's not always easy to invest in ourselves. There's a lot at risk when we put ourselves out there emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But these human elements are part of the success equation.
While we like to think we are investing in ourselves every day, the truth to the matter is we don't. All too often we let the poison of everyday life-the stress, the bills, the bosses, other people's vision, and the craziness of a 24-7 society-take over and rot our motivation and inspiration to move closer to our goals and dreams.
We don't take time to read and learn new things; we don't permit ourselves to have a time-out so we can give back to ourselves through rest and relaxation; and we don't stop to feed ourselves the kind, cheerful words we want to hear from that voice inside. Instead, we let life lull us into a robotic, semi-complacent state where we don't have access to our dreams and goals.
This is when you begin hearing, "I can't, I can't," play over and over again with no end in sight. I can't go to the gym. I can't start my own business. I can't think about another career. I can't get out of debt. I can't go back to school. I can't find my purpose. I can't be rich. I can't. I can't. I can't…
Here's what I have to say about that: YES YOU CAN. If you don't go within, you go without. You deserve to get to where you want to be, period. Consider this: If your personal bank account is worth billions, imagine what you would be able to materialize in your outer world. But if your personal inventory is low-and you are not doing the things you love, guess what. You probably won't be rich by any stretch of that world.
Like the old saying goes, life is not a dress rehearsal. This is the one life you are given so you best show up for yourself first. When I meet some people who get a little defensive when I ask them if they are happy and operating at 100 percent and they brusquely respond, "Yeah, I'm happy," I don't believe them. And if they are not lying to themselves they are lying to somebody. We all possess parts of ourselves that we would like to enhance. If not, we wouldn't be human.
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