Smart Investment

There are some universal rules that work for everybody, no matter who you are, where you came from, what are your beliefs. And it is better to be aware of them at least. We all are aware of gravity, but not everyone is aware of his own decision making process, while it is more or less the same for everyone as well. Of course there could be exceptions in brain's working process. The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Moon is not the same as on the surface of the Earth, the same way if you have the brain injury for example, you can act in some unpredictable weird way (you can google "Phineas Gage" as an example of behavioral changes related to the damage if you are curious). But let's focus on normal earth based environment.

In my today's blog-post I want to talk about the best investment you can make. And again, it doesn't matter who you are, where you are, what you like or dislike, what you want and don't want. And it relates to your personal life and to the approach you can take for your business.

So what is the best investment you can make? It's your HAPPINESS! There is no other answer. It is absolutely the most important thing in your life. You are navigated by the level of your happiness in your journey through the "woods" of life. It's like a compass that leads you to one way or another. So if you don't want to get lost you better take your time, your money, your efforts and put them in the pocket of making yourself happy.

People make huge mistake thinking that they need to focus on making money, or on getting married, finding new job, etc. Behind all these desires there is a wish of being happy. We just try to eliminate disturbance and get pleasures by getting money, job, husband... You want all these things because you want to be happy and not to be unhappy. If something goes not the way you want it to be, you get disturbed. And you put more efforts to get what you need and to get rid of what you don't like. This is how most of us make the decisions. Pain and pleasure guide us day by day. But does it work? Let's see!

It's been a while since I started to learn psychology, personal development, brain, religion, and mindfulness. And after getting tons of information in this area I made a conclusion that there are two types of over-achievers. I mean people who can be classified as successful by others, who gained power, money or fame.

Type #1: Disturbed Mind. Some people are so not in line with there internal world, they have so much worries and lack of peace within themselves, that they constantly are seeking for control, they want to construct their life based on external environment being the way they want it to be. Every time their mind gets disturbed, they put a lot of efforts to get what they want just because they absolutely cannot deal with this suffering. They cannot just sit through it, and they unconsciously keep creating action plans in their heads which would help them to change the external environment so it would be in line with their vision. And some people can get really good at that, especially if they are smart by nature, so their mind can create sophisticated ideas. And sometimes they do get more powerful and successful than average human being. But at what cost? And does it help them to be happy? And what type of impact do they have on other people? Can they love themselves? Do you want to be extremely successful and unhappy, with discontinued stream of worries going through your head? This sounds like a hell to me. Even the most powerful people cannot control everything. There are always some natural disasters, something happens on the market, people get sick, nobody can control death, and no one can control others people's will. Look at Hitler, he had a power, he definitely changed the world. But was it a good thing? I believe that success that is coming from disturbed mind will create only problems, and not only for the owner of this mind but for people around him as well.

Type #2: Conscious Mind. I must say that this type can be disturbed too. But there is a huge difference between just disturbed mind and the mind which is aware of the disturbance. And it is so obvious and simple. Just answer this simple question: do you prefer to control your actions or you want to be the slave of your unconscious behavior? What if someone makes you mad and you cannot control your anger, you react and later feel stupid? Would you like it? Or if you constantly are making the decisions you regret about later? And I think it's okay if your first reaction to the event can be emotional. But when you think about the same stuff again and again and store it for the rest of your life, you damage yourself! This is unacceptable! And now imagine that no matter what happened in the external environment, you still can approach the situation with clear mind! How cool is that?! You are calm and creative no matter what! This is the way you can achieve any goal! This is the right way to build your life and to become really happy deep inside! No matter what! This is what can be described as "Happy For No Reason". You become fun, lovable, smart, and creative. If you can train yourself to be conscious most of the time, sooner or later your life will reward you for that. Because in our happy state we get connected to Universe and to other people. And this connection helps us to be more creative and productive.

These are the rules that are applied to everyone. The explanation is very simple! When we think we create the waves. And these waves are part of quantum field around us. And if you only create the waves of disturbance and stress, the energy that you are sending to Universe can only be destructive. On other hand, when you are relaxed, when you are in creative state of mind, you send this positive energy to everyone. People are nicer to you, they feel more comfortable and relaxed, you help them to be more positive and as a result more productive. You create special environment around you and become successful. Of course there will be something unpleasant. But in case of adversity instead of freaking out you will remain calm and will use the situation as an opportunity to grow. You can either resist the flow of life trying to make everything be in line with your limited vision, or you can accept the life as it is, and by doing so, get the power coming from Universe, which will help you to find happiness and peace!

Now I want to talk a little bit about business model of incentives. A lot of companies in there product support rely on Sales Representatives. And as a result most of the times in order to increase sales, companies create different types of incentive plans for their sales employees. Of course not only sales people are motivated by additional payout and bonuses, but in sales organization incentives usually play much higher role than in finance, IT or supply department, for example. The interesting part is that there are a lot of things which happen outside of sales reps control. Analyst build models for good commission plan, they do reporting for senior management to show how it works, they make changes if it's needed, they create targets, but in the end of the day the idea is the same - the more you sell, the more money you make. Very simple. So the trigger for employees is money and competition with each other. Is it really the best approach organization can make? Is it enough for success? I honestly think that this model is an anachronism, and it should definitely evolve in educating sales people first of all. I am not saying that companies all of a sudden should cut all the incentive expenses and invite professors from Harvard to give lectures about the neuroscience and happiness. There is nothing wrong in making more money for bringing more value. But it works perfectly only if there are no problems with the market, weather, supply, competitors, etc. If something unusual happens, the scheme "just make more money" doesn't work anymore. And if you rely only on your incentive plan to manage your sales forces, in case of adversity, you most likely will have a lot of issues with your business. Organization works the same way as individual. And if you want it to be successful you need to make sure that it is healthy, strong and resilient. How can you make it? You can add some educational programs for your sales people. You can teach them not just how to sell products, but how to stay relaxed even if performance goes down. This is the investment that you should make besides standard commissions. This is the approach of future business and the earlier you apply it to your organization, the more benefit you will get. Of course you cannot control other people, but we do get information from external environment every day. And this information affects our brains. And if you constantly promote the specific style within your company, you will help your employees to build new neuroconnections. And in the end of the day you will be able to make a difference. I believe that if you become a leader, you are responsible for people around you at some level. And honestly speaking, we all are responsible of what we bring to this world. What is your message? What are your expectations? How realistic they are and what are the intentions behind? Are you acting on behalf of your ego and are you concerned only about getting pleasure and avoiding pain? Or you want to make this world a better place, to make a difference, to create something new?

If you are happy, you can be more creative and use your gift to help other people to become the best version of themselves, you must use it, you must at least try. And I believe that this will help you to get huge return on your investments!

Be conscious!

Be Strong And Love Yourself!

From Dasha With Love!