40 Investments In 5-Minutes — Part 05
Investment 01: Pet A Friendly Animal
Right before we dive in, it’s worth mentioning that, if you live with pets, this one is much easier.
Outside of that little remark, this particular investment is pretty self-explanatory.
Just take a few minutes and, in those few minutes, pet a friendly animal.
I live with three dogs — Beau, Gizmo, and Lily — and two cats — Blue, and Marley.
For me to perform this investment, all that’s needed is for me to walk into the living room, where my dogs usually are, sit down, and pet them.
Or, Blue often likes to sleep on my bed, which is where my desk and computer are, so I can just reach over and pet her, while working on something else.
The benefits of petting a friendly animal are well-documented:
To go along with those benefits, setting aside a few minutes to pet a friendly animal allows me to be in the moment and to, in turn, appreciate the beauty and abundance of that moment.
For you, that may not be the case. But, my advice is to try it, if you can, and see what happens.
Investment 02: Assume You Are Someone Else
Right now, you probably have things that you want.
Goals, perhaps. Or, at the very least, desires.
Your desires are your desires. Just as my desires are my desires.
Everyone longs for different things in different ways.
Desire is the root of our struggles, yet it is the source of the world we live in, the abundance we are surrounded with, the possibilities that enamour us, the being that we are.
Regardless of all that, though, when you really want something, but you either don’t have it or can’t seem to, rigidity can follow.
Rigidity, in the sense of being unable to move forward, to take transformative actions, to ask powerful questions, to imagine, and experience, something better.
Sometimes, the easiest way to move away from a state of rigidity, and into a state of both flexibility and possibility, is to transform your assumptions.
Or, more specifically, to transform your assumptions by assuming you are someone else.
Someone you believe possesses what you desire or, even better, would be able to acquire what you desire with relative ease and joy.
For a businessperson, this might be “Steve Jobs” or “Elon Musk” or “Thomas Edison”.
For a writer, this might be “Jorge Luis Borges” or “Stephen King” or “Ernest Hemingway”.
Of course, those are just two examples of roles you might be performing and, as a result, need some help with.
The possibilities are vast and infinite, so you can perform this investment no matter who you are and no matter what it is you are looking for.
All you must do is think of someone — anyone at all — who, to you, possesses what you desire or would find acquiring what you desire easy and joyous.
Right after that, take a few deep breaths and assume you are that person.
You can ask questions and, then, respond to them, as if you are that person.
You can engage with inner conversations that affirm you are the person you are choosing to be.
You can assume that you have what you want and, as such, are grateful for that.
Just like the sheer range of assumptions, and individuals, you can embody, the possibilities are infinite.
To truly enjoy this investment, while also reaping the fruits it can bring forth, my advice is to play.
Just play.
Play with what comes to mind.
Play with what excites you.
Play with what you love.
Play in a way that allows you to find something beautiful.
Something even more beautiful than what you were initially seeking.
But, again, these investments are for you, so engage with them in the way you wish to, rather than solely through what is being outlined in this essay.
Investment 03: Remember A Memory
Every memory is infused with its own set of feelings and sensations.
Each one of these feelings and sensations serves as a state of being.
A state of being that contains, within itself, a way of experiencing the world.
Some memories are infused with pain and longing.
Some memories are infused with inspiration and passion.
And, of course, there are many more feelings and sensations to find, within your memories, as well as many more possibilities for what these memories can contain.
For this investment, though, you must consider what it is you are seeking.
Right now, you may be seeking a sense of abundance, a sense of possibility, a set of creative ideas, a sense of passion; along with an infinite number of other, equally divine, possibilities.
Regardless of what you are seeking, make sure you know what it is.
Right after you know what it is, allow yourself to remember a time that encapsulates that state of being, as well as that way of experiencing the world.
For some of us, there isn’t a time in our lives that approximates what we’re looking for.
For you, if that is the case, take a memory that is close to what you are seeking and, then, adjust certain aspects of it, in a subtle but tangled way, so that it is.
Just let yourself return to this memory, to this state, to this way of experiencing the world.
Recall what you felt. Recall what you saw. Recall what you experienced.
Recall what it was that excited you, inspired you, made you feel alive, made you want to live, gave you life.
Let yourself reside within this memory for a few-minutes.
Soon after doing so, you will, if nothing else, possess a greater level of appreciation for that time in your life.
Even better, though, remnants of that memory — the state of being — will permeate your experience of this moment, right here and right now.
Let yourself play with that as much as you would like, for this is your moment and, just as this is your moment, this is your life to live.
Investment 04: Listen To The World
Some people say that the world speaks to us.
Speaks to us in ways that are both tangible yet subtle.
I’m not sure if this is true. But, in my experience, there’s truth to it.
All around us, there are people, objects, symbols, ideas, probabilities — and so on and so forth — interacting with one another, coalescing into something moving, existing in perpetual motion.
Each one of these is speaking and, in speaking, speaks to you.
Or, at least, that’s the idea.
I’m still not sure if this is true. But, engaging with this idea can be valuable.
To perform this investment, try to find a place that is in nature — or, at least, close to nature — with plenty of motion.
A local park, with trees and grass, as well as people walking around. That’s a great place for you to perform this investment.
Soon after you get to this place, find a place to sit down and relax.
Right after that, allow yourself to listen to what is all around you.
Just do this for five-minutes.
Or more/less, if you want to.
Rather than losing yourself in your thoughts — very easy to do, in my experience — pay attention and, in paying attention, listen to what is all around you.
You may find things that resonate with you, inspire a path you would like to follow, bring clarity to questions that have been on your mind, clarify a theme you’ve been experiencing; along with an infinite abundance of other, equally exciting, possibilities.
No matter what you find, be sure to honor this moment.
For this moment, in all of its light and motion and possibility, is unlike any other that has ever come before it, and unlike any other that will come after it.
Investment 05: Tell A Story
Just take a moment and tell a story.
Your story can be about anything.
Anything at all.
The possibilities are endless.
Compared to some of the other investments in this essay — or, series, in general — this one may seem relatively lacking in tangible value.
To some extent, that may be true.
But, storytelling is fun!
Storytelling is fun, especially when it’s quick, easy, and unencumbered by the assumptions or limitations of anyone else.
To go along with that, the act of storytelling is, in my experience, a creative act that gives way to greater creative abilities, new paths, awareness of new ideas, a sense of inspiration; along with an abundance of other, equally enchanting, paths and possibilities.
Even if this investment is less “valuable” than the others, it’s still plenty of fun.
So, please, tell a story and see what happens!
