IN SEARCH OF MEANINGFUL RETURNS
… over and over, those big hairy audacious goals
Wednesday June 18, 2014
Investment – every kind, provides return.
Or loss.
Bank deposits, preferreds, bonds – don’t pay much, and principal will be returned.
Risk increases, potential reward increases, unmitigated disaster potential.
Investing in hot tips, complex schemes – risk rises. So do returns.
Maybe.
Rising risk, disappointing returns, means potential for complete disaster, loss of everything. Investing in businesses similarly risks everything, exposure to greater losses, risks, liabilities.
Investing in people?
High potential for reward; or risk for incredible disappointments, losses.
‘Risk-reward continuum’ describes it.
Most challenging is the ‘invest in yourself’ structure.
Can be business, usually small.
Can be initiative, project, idea.
Can be short term energy bursts.
Can be life-long pursuit.
Dream or idea – plan of attack, something developed by accident, from little whimsy into a bigger whim, then gigantic whim – often require little cash investment and, at first, little brain effort.
Illusion!
Of course brain gets drained, body gets drained of energy. Then bank accounts gets drained.
Again and again.
Over and over.
This is fate of the entrepreneur idea-preneur.
Life is performance.
Without rehearsal.
Before a live audience – daily.
If we aren’t working hard, focused and determined to make OUR difference here, it won’t happen on its own. And then we’ll be gone, lost, forgotten, dust …
Considering our 100-125 year life/influence on earth, mere nano-seconds in earth history, isn’t it time we became more realistic about our time-limitations, and more optimistic about our potential to actually accomplish things?
Re-visiting, dusting-off projects left on-hold in my brain, old folders, back of drawers and bottoms of boxes I carefully moved recently.
Every dream could be our masterpiece.
Every project could be invigorating, helpful and meaningful to this world, for our community or for someone.
Jose Marti said, “do something useful and you have everything you want.”
So much hype – following your passion. So many cannot honestly say they have passion or have found their passion.
Better we focus on what we do that is valuable, what we know can be useful – work on things we know are important.
We’ll know – by the energy we feel, that comes out of nowhere when we do them. Call it passion if you need that description …
Wwe should spend less time fretting our limitations, more time generating outcomes.
More time writing our message large, creating fabulousness others haven’t dreamt …
Difference isn’t financial capital.
Difference is emotional capital.
Clever words, perfect people, flawless execution – on TV, stage, movies, podiums – comes from many takes, wearying rehearsals.
Over and over again until they got it right.
Be prepared for that in all things.
What’s your great big hairy audacious goal?
Are you fully invested?
Investing – betting on – ourselves is not like picking nags at some racetrack.
Key, as we invest in ourselves, in our future, is to feel confident.
In my experience too many ideas stay in brains without action plans, too many projects don’t move from great notion to great action.
Over and over.
Again.
Until we get it right.
Why not?
You’re only investing your life – the only one you’ve got.
Use it, or lose it.
Well, you’re going to lose it anyway.
Might as well use it and use it well.
Meaningful isn’t around some corner.
It is inside you, waiting to be let out to play.
Mark Kolke
197,096
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: 10C / 50F, overcast, light breeze, more rain predicted (welcome to big-flood anniversary week!), Gusta started eating something she found – it was funny because she’d half-swallowed it before she realized she didn’t like it, so she spat it out like a child would.
