|
ROI WHY DAY
Friday Mar. 24, 2017
Is your investment of time satisfying?
Is it pride, accomplishment – building another killer line on your resume?
Or measured in lives saved, or lost – and does it matter if that life is human, animal or plant?
What gives you satisfaction and a good return on your investment (ROI).
Investing time, like investing money – all about ROI, but should cash return be our only measure of value?
Searching for meaning is not something we do by wandering wilderness with back-pack and walking stick – any more than it is found riding packed commuter trains, rocking a boardroom presentations or writing perfect couplets …
If something really matters – down deep, we’re committed – with drive to accomplish our goad, understood – but we get sidetracked or ‘rationalize’ we aren’t earing our Nobel or Pulitzer, why aren’t inventing the next new best thang-gadget … because we all have so many great reasons/excuses and obstacles.
And, it IS true, we have to fund our dreams, fund our desires and fund our lifestyle.
But don’t we all spend too much time on providing and not enough on the doing?
I know I do.
Where is that elusive balance hiding?
It isn’t hiding any more than Michelangelo’s David was hiding inside a block of marble – whatever I need to unleash, to set free, is lurking right here. Inside of me. Whatever you need is lurking inside of you. So, why don’t we go for it?
There is little value in many things we routinely do – but we do them anyway; partly because they are routine habit, partly because they serve others or society (obligations, consumerism, citizenship) – but mostly, they fill time. Time we could spend on things which matter more, which matter most. I’m not advocating that we toss aside important work – just suggesting we be more selective in each new thing we take on, be more selective in choosing what we’ll discard or give up. My notion is that we can do more/better in less time – and enjoy more leisure and appreciation of life in time we’ve chosen to waste/invest/consume doing things which do not contribute to the health of the body we are walking around in or to the body of work we’ll leave when we are gone.
Stretch? How far? How focused are we, how energetic?
I’ve been reflecting – analysis, helping to better serve my stakeholders.
And who are MY stakeholders? Who are yours?
Yes, we can all point to clients, partners, co-conspirators, family. They are certainly involved and interested parties, but aren’t we a STAKEHOLDER OF ONE?
The reality of me, of my life, is JUST ME.
Who else has a vested interest in my dreams, my aspirations, my desires, my artful way of getting from where I am to where I want to be? Yes, some people have their mother still alive and cheering for them – but other than that, we are alone.
We, ALONE, are the only person who knows the inner workings of our mind – and we create our life, our resume, our legacy.
And sometimes we have to shout really loud at ourselves: “hey Mark, what have you done lately?”
| 