Self-diversification

My buddy Shannon and I fell into a conversation the other day about how important it is to diversify the investments you make in yourself. Sounds strange…but hang with me.

I am lots of somebodies and lots of somethings.

I am a daughter, friend, sister, wife, teammate, volunteer, neighbor, etc. I am determined, sensitive, confident, insecure, reasonable, crazy, traditional, innovative, energized, lazy, etc. In familiar terms, I am good, bad, and ugly. I’m exploring that, understanding it, and appreciating it.

Which do I invest more time in? Which do I make a plan to work around? So I can be the best person I can be? All these things, positive and negative, help me to be a stronger and more resilient person if I understand them.

I have been in a place where I put too much of myself into one of these roles, or too much emphasis on one part of who I am. When that wasn’t successful, or I wasn’t feeling fulfilled, life was really difficult. Right out of school, I poured everything I had into work, and as a result I saw my personal relationships with friends and family suffer. Through that I realized that being a friend, daughter, and sister really did matter to me, so I adjusted course.

Every person has to rank what will be their priority and leave them fulfilled. How they will invest to live their fullest life? We have to make time to explore this and be purposeful about it.

I want to be someone my friends know they can trust, and someone they know will love them unconditionally. So I am purposeful about investing time listening, reaching out, and helping especially when they are struggling.

I am working to be more calm and relaxed because it’s better for my health, my work life, and my personal relationships. That means sometimes I need to invest time doing nothing. Lay around, reflect, write, meditate. And I’m finally OK with that. I realize I need that time to recharge.

I’ve also begun to explore and recognize my inner evil. Avoiding it makes me weak and vulnerable. Acknowledging it and using it for good has been enlightening. I’ve used this Jocko and Dr. Jordan Peterson podcast for inspiration. I hope you enjoy it!