Originally Posted - March 27, 2008
"INVESTING"
Investing? What does that mean? Here is one definition:
Invest - to use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something
What do you invest in? Where does all of your time and effort go? Why doesn’t there seem to be enough time in the day to do all that you want to do?
Many times I see people that want to be good at something such as a sport or skill but they are unwilling to invest the time necessary to be great. They perform under par the first few times they try and they prematurely quit without investing. On the flip side, some people invest too much time into something they aren’t called to do! Don’t live someone else’s dream.... live yours!!!
I see people who say they want to make an impact on the people around them but they don’t invest the time and energy to build relationships. On the flip side, I also see people that try to invest too much time and neglect the responsibilities they have......get a job yo!!!
I see life like a taste-testing event. You expose yourself to trying many things just to give it a chance, invest in the things that you enjoy and have interest in, and set aside a larger amount of time and energy to invest in the things that you are most passionate about.
How can you accomplish a goal without investing (besides the luck factor)? You can’t!!! What are you waiting for?
I have experience in lots of different areas of life (taste-testing) and some of my closest friends from college would say this about me.... "Mike knows a little about everything and a lot about nothing". There is some truth to that and it got me thinking.... what am I investing in so that I can be great and know a lot about something? I don’t take that comment as an insult, I take it as constructive criticism!
I’ve been in the process of prioritizing for a few years now while pondering that comment. I still like to have my hands in lots of things but I had to choose what to dedicate and invest the majority of my time and efforts in so that I wouldn’t come up short on my passions.
My current passions:
My God (Reading the Word, worship, prayer, corporate meetings...etc)
My Family (Wife, Parents, Siblings, ...etc)
Music (leading worship, songwriting, guitar and other instruments)
Relational Ministry (building relationships ***see note***)
Restoring my house/land (my city of refuge)
I have decided to dedicate and invest the majority of my time and efforts to these things for this season.
***Building Relationships*** It’s great to have lots of friends but it’s hard to invest quality time into all of them. You have to choose the few that you can dedicate the most time to for that season of life and be willing to have a "see you when I see you" attitude for the rest hopefully without offending everybody. You can’t be everyone’s best friends and you shouldn’t expect them to be yours.... let nature do it’s thing. You know who you relate to the most. If you’re not investing into anybody....turn off the TV and go find someone! It’s great for accountability as well.....for those that want it!
FYI - myspace, facebook, and email networking is a great way to keep in touch with a larger group of friends both old and new. It doesn’t take too much effort and you can still stay connected. There really isn’t an excuse these days!!! You can update all of your friends on portions of your life with the click of a button!!! It’s not real deep but at least it’s a start!
What are your thoughts on the subject?
