A Productive Spirit

One day, in the face of a looming deadline, he was facing a problem he could not solve. Naturally, he became very stressed and depressed. He was worried that he might lose his job and his house. He was so stressed that his body was trembling. Not knowing what to do, he invited an old monk to his house for the evening. He saw the meeting as a respite from his stress and an opportunity to gain some insight into his situation. When the monk arrived the man described the situation he was facing at work. After much discussion, he finally said in the end, “Master, I have tried very hard in everything I did. I studied very hard at school. I worked very hard at my job. Now I feel that my life is going to be ruined. What is the point of working so hard? What is the meaning of my life?” The monk listened carefully and after the man finished, the monk began to speak – Sir, thank you for inviting me and sharing your thoughts with me. This is what I see: you are experiencing a crisis. A crisis is, in essence, a problem. When a crisis comes, view it as another problem in life, face it calmly, and deal with it one step at a time. The most effective crisis response begins with a desire to overcome it and a positive state of mind. It is that state of mind that enables you to make productive decisions and even create miracles. Now let me get back to your questions. There is a default answer to both questions. The answer is to conform and to make money. You have spent much of your life doing what others told you to do without question. You also have learned skills that would help you earn good money. Now you are sacrificing your health – in essence, risking your life – because that is what you have been taught to do. You may have your dreams and aspirations, but the fact is that you have dedicated much of your waking life to conforming to others and to the pursuit of money. So let me ask you this – what product does your company make? Is the product so critical that if it is not working perfectly and delivered by the deadline, someone will die? No? Perhaps less so. Will someone become seriously ill or injured, or be forced into extreme hardship by losing their freedom or all their possessions? If the answer is “yes,” I can see you are providing an extremely valuable service and there is a good reason to make such sacrifices. But if the answer is “no,” why stress over it? What is the worst that could happen if the product is not delivered by the stated deadline? What is at stake besides money? The question struck the man with incredible force. Although he did not respond, already he could sense his perspective on his entire situation changing as the monk continued to speak. You feel lost and seek a meaningful life. Your life is meaningful only when you value it. Do you value your life? If so, you also value your resources such as your time, body, mind, knowledge, physical possessions, relationships, and environment. If you value a resource, you want to get as much out of it as you can. At the least, you want to use it to produce a positive outcome in your life or someone else’s life. If you agree with what I said, then you must see yourself as an investor. We all make decisions and every decision has a consequence. This means that every decision is an investment and the consequence of a decision is the investment return. Actually, a dialog with someone (such as our conversation) can be viewed as an investment, because this experience can impact the lives of both parties. Since you are making decisions at all times, you are a lifelong investor. I want to help you become a more productive investor by introducing you to some principles. Once you have familiarized yourself with them and apply them, you will be more confident, make better decisions, and have more joy in your life. The man thought about what the monk said and for the rest of that evening he wept. From that day forward he decided he would follow the monk’s advice and make a change. He did not work beyond the hours he was comfortable with. He began to question everything he had been told until he got an explanation he was satisfied with. He felt that his career was going to eventually end, so he spent his savings, changed his career, and started a new business. He did not earn as much money as he did at his former job, but he was passionate about what he did and was satisfied with his life. Until the day he died he never regretted his decision to start a new career. So his story ends.