Invest in Yourself, Conquer the World
Tell me truthfully, do you value yourself?
Chances are I don’t know you. And yet, if sat down for a ten minute chat, I bet I could figure out exactly what you value most in life.
No, I wouldn’t simply ask, “What in this world do you value most?” That would be cheating.
Besides, you’d probably just lie.
Not intentionally, of course. You’d likely believe precisely what you told me.
It’s not your fault. Your mind has spent countless hours concocting narratives. Stories about what you value, as well as why you value it.
You’re not alone. Mine does the same thing.
So how am I going to ferret out what you truly value? Do I have a bloodhound’s ability to smell your values wafting in the air?
No. Thank god, no.
I don’t want your values in my nose.
The tactic is much simpler.
I’m just going to ask you to walk me through your day. You’ll tell me everything you do between the moments you wake up and fall back asleep.
And once I know how you spend your time, I’ll know precisely what you value.
Now here’s my second question:
Do you value yourself?
Hot damn, you answered that one pretty quick. Of course you value yourself.
But here’s the problem:
When I look at how you spend your time, it makes me think that maybe you don’t really value yourself.
Why? Because most of us don’t put in the time and effort necessary to grow beyond our current abilities.
I feel like being interactive today, so let’s ask some more questions:
How many hours in the last week did you spend pursuing your dream?
No, just thinking about writing that book doesn’t count.
No, just researching what books you need to read to master the art of knot-tying doesn’t count.
Brainstorming, talking, planning, dreaming don’t count either.
We all waste time at this stage. It’s an easy crutch because it looks an awful lot like productivity, but it’s not. It’s simply busyness.
The only thing that counts is doing.
Now, be honest, how much time have you invested in doing this week?
How many hours have you invested in you this week?
I think we both know the answer.
Not enough.
I get it. Work is grueling. Family time is demanding. You’re burnt out. Exhausted.
Used up.
I get it. I do.
But realize something: We all have exactly the same amount of time in the day.
That’s never going to change. So stop waiting for Daylights Savings Time or whatever magical event you think will occur. Start using the limited time you have more effectively.
Let’s address the common rebuttal here. “If only I had more time.”
Put that line of reasoning out of your head right now. Accept the fact that even if you had more time, it would simply fill up with more of life’s mandatory tasks. That is unavoidable.
The question is not one of how much time you have, but rather, how you use the limited time available to you.
This is what differentiates the truly successful from everybody else.
Successful people use their time effectively.
Also…
They Invest in Themselves.
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As usual, inspirational! Thank you 🙂 I’ve been “busy” brainstorming and planning but less busy “doing” and at the end of the day I have nothing to show but a mental recap of what I hope to accomplish.
I spend a lot of time in that same boat, my friend. But now that we recognize we’re in that boat, it’s time to hop in the other boat. The boat of doing!
Hardest part about this for me is figuring out what my dream is..
As usual though, great article and breath of fresh air on a Monday to start the week, keep up the good work Anthony!
It’s good to read a post like this. Sometimes, I can only carve out fifteen minutes a day to do any actual writing.
As you say, we are all given the same number of hours in a day.
I get discouraged.
I make excuses.
But, when push inevitably leads to shove, I pick up my pen again, because that’s the only thing I can do.
Writing is supposed to be a calling, not a career. If you don’t really care about the words, if you’re only in it for the money…
You should just quit now.
I don’t expect to become famous. My chances of getting in bed with one of the big publishers are essentially nil.
But, really, how many words would I be sacrificing if I did?
“Writers are not here to conform. We are here to challenge. We’re not here to be comfortable–we’re here, really, to shake things up. That’s our job.”
-Jeanette Winterson
Let’s remember what we’ve been given this gift for.