in|vest

to spend or devote for future advantage or benefit; to devote morally or psychologically, as to a purpose; commit.

What are you investing your time, attention, energy, talents, affections, money, and resources into? Do you know the answer to this question? If not, I encourage you to take a moment and evaluate what the answer is for you. Once you do, let me ask you a follow-up question: Are you proud of what you’re invested in? Or, did you find that you are aimlessly thwarting off your own resources into places you’re not even sure why you’re there in the first place?

Sometimes we can become so “auto-pilot” that we get tangled up in people, jobs, tasks, and other things that we find difficult to defend having in our lives.

And don’t get me wrong–I know we begin certain projects; we gain certain responsibilities; and we inherit certain traditions throughout our lives that cannot be easily dismissed. But in my posing the questions above, I challenge you to take inventory of those aspects of your lives that can use some ‘pruning,’ if you will, in order for you to realign your investments to give you a better return. A return that will bring lasting fulfilling, short and long-term.

I can remember walking the small campus of my university wanting so desperately to fit in with this group or that one; searching for an organization that I could invest my time in joining, working for, and rising in the ranks. I was so invested in the idea of ‘fitting in’ and ‘belonging’ and making a name for myself that I neglected other areas right in front of me that I could’ve naturally invested in. I was in a different situation being a single mother on campus. As much as I wanted to fight it, I couldn’t get away from the fact that my life was very different from that of my colleagues. The more I tried to fit in with the others, the harder I would hit a wall. Eventually, I began to believe I was the problem; that something was wrong with me; or that I would never fit in with a crowd. It wasn’t until my junior year of college that my perspective shifted–thank God. I realized that the ideas I was so invested in about fitting in were unnatural and they wouldn’t ever give me the return on investment like other areas right in front of my face would. Areas like motherhood. When I realized my daughter’s love and respect and a desire to be around ‘mommy’ was the greatest return on investment I could ask for concerning her, I shifted where I was focusing my energy. When I realized that investing in my own self-worth and not needing someone else to define my worth was going to give me one of the greatest returns on investment, I soon began to invest in me. This meant being true to myself, who I was, what I liked/didn’t like, what I wasn’t going to compromise on, and how I felt about myself in general. It took some time and some hurt, but I realized what wasn’t working and what I needed to adjust in order to live a fully invested life that I would be proud of now and forever.

Some of us are invested in people who are not equally invested in the relationship as we are. Ask yourself: how long have you been invested in this relationship? Is it going anywhere? Are you getting as much in return (if not more) as you’re putting in? Why are you invested in it in the first place? Is it worth a continued pursuit?

Some of us have been good friends to some people who don’t return the friendship as we would hope. Have you been in their corner only for them to not celebrate the great things taking place in your life? It’s important that you walk in love with all people, but sometimes there are friendships that are merely here for a season. Knowing when to let these go in their own right is critical.

There are some of us who are working jobs for one reason or another knowing there is no real return on investment for your future. Sure, it’s paying the bills, but is it teaching you skills? Is it molding and shaping you to be a better person? Does it challenge you to think more creatively? Are you impacting others in a positive way? Does it fit into your ‘bigger picture’?

What ideas are you so consumed with that are seemingly becoming unhealthy? Are you obsessing over a certain lifestyle that you believe will fix all of your issues and make you happy? So much so, that you are neglecting other areas of your life that can use your investment for development now…?

You’ve got to ask yourself the hard questions in order to reveal the roots you’ve planted over the years. And sometimes that means exposing those roots so that you can uproot them and plant new ones that will bear the desirable fruit you are looking for. When we are honest with where we’re putting our time, energy, talents, money, etc. and how these investments play a role in the bigger picture for our lives, we can make better decisions in bettering ourselves and consequently offering a better contribution for the world around us.