Done a DD yet?

Due diligence or ‘DD’ in investing and business simply means doing your research, asking questions, assessing your risks, studying the entity’s board (how many board members have experience in the field that the entity claims expertise in?) and above all, a healthy dose of skepticism when looking at the company’s financial statements—all before you make an investment. One would assume that seasoned investors and businesses live by the due diligence mantra. Not so, going by the number of scams, schemes and swindlers who periodically defraud investors and strong businesses. Maybe because they were too busy or too big to do due diligence.

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Life does not work quite that way because we are already invested in our lives and living it, real time. Humans, however, have the capacity to grow, change and transform themselves. You can be your authentic best only when you do regular due diligence to remain true to your inner growth. How do you not get too busy to find time to apply due diligence and assess where your life is going? How do you know when it is time to do so? It is time for DD when you find yourself wondering if this is where you want to be at this moment in your life, regardless of how many external messages you get to the contrary. Why are you frozen where you are instead of getting to where you want to be? What is preventing you from moving on?

You are ripe for a self-audit if you find yourself at a loose end after living your life in a particular way because ‘everybody else does it’ or because someone told you that this is how it should be lived and you have tried to. Ask yourself the questions you have been afraid to ask. The more questions you ask, the more clarity you gain. Make it a habit to get off the busyness roller coaster and contemplate more. Why are you spending your limited life doing what you are? Does living this way make sense to you, even if it seems to for others in that orbit? Are you living to your fullest potential? Do you feel like you are in charge of your life or have you handed over that power to others? Questions, questions.

“I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Once you have your answers, treat mistakes as experiences. Everyone makes mistakes. Accept them and move on without regret. Shed the parts of your life that inhibit your free movement and get going. Are you still wondering what others will think of you? You’ll be surprised to know that most humans are too self-absorbed to spend much time thinking about you. They’re busy thinking about themselves. And even if they do, there is nothing you can do about it, is there? Quite worrying about the numerous variables you can’t control. It is not beneficial to who you are now and serves no purpose.

“Can’t repeat the past? he cried incredulously. “Why of course you can!” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Remember: life is a one-time opportunity and you are your own regulating agency. You cannot fake it till you make it. You need to look inward and reflect that authenticity to the outside world instead of feeling the need to disguise your self in innumerable layers in order to face others. Hucksters since the beginning of time have claimed to have found the perfect formula for life but one size never fits all in the life experience. Experiment and create the exclusive life formula that works best for you. Focus on changing yourself and your environment will change in ways that will serve you best. Keep wondering what others think or do and nothing goes your way.

“All the bright precious things fade so fast, and they don’t come back.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

What happens after a successful DD? It is like a puzzle falling into place. There is a great sense of harmony, balance, prosperity—let me clarify that the term prosperity here denotes inner well-being which extends far beyond material alone —and there is much more love within. You are at ease. You are yourself. Maybe that is the best part of doing an internal due diligence. You have a lot more to give to others because you feel worthy of doing so.