WoW 112: On the power laws of virtue
Show notes
Today we explore insights into how 'power laws', often applied to investing in companies, are also applicable to personal virtues. Josh encourages investing one's time, action, and energy into cultivating virtues such as honesty, courage, love, and service. Comparing the virtues' growth to a company's growth over time, Josh suggests that the returns may not be immediately obvious but will yield significant results in the long run. You are invited to surrender to God, equating this to the ultimate investment. This analogy is reinforced with biblical quotes from Matthew 13 and the idea of virtue as a hidden treasure. Finally, the listener is invited to reflect on their own path to virtue and areas they need to address.
00:00 Introduction to Power Laws of Virtue
00:05 Investing in Companies and Power Laws
00:41 Applying Power Laws to Virtues
01:11 Investing in Virtue: A Comparison with Company Investment
01:42 The Power of Law Growth of Virtue
02:25 The Importance of Virtues in Life
02:43 Biblical References to Virtue and Investment
04:00 Reflection Questions on Virtue and Investment
04:28 Conclusion: Entrust Yourself to God
About Josh Kalsbeek, LMFT
• As a Psychoherapist I help people overcome their greatest struggles.
•Founder and CEO of Great Oaks Collective, and it's flagship program Overcome, a 10-Week virtual Intensive Outpatient Program for Christian couples experiencing sexual betrayal and addiction. www.greatoakscollective.com.
• Sign up to receive my weekly email newsletter, Words of Wisdom.
---
Links
Jean Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Who are you becoming?
In case you missed it, if you're hoping to live a more purpose-filled life, I have a 10 post series on Meaningful Action. Click the link and I'll send an email each day for the next 10 days.
---
Transcript
Words of wisdom one 12 on the power laws of virtue.
2
:Investing in companies
is about power laws.
3
:You must be patient and invest
only in a single company.
4
:A huge commitment with significant
capital, and then wait.
5
:Let's say you make five or 15
or 150 investments, only one
6
:or two bets really matter.
7
:The ones that experience 10 x or a hundred
x growth over the course of decades, the
8
:vast majority of the wealth made comes
from one to a handful of investments.
9
:Your virtues are about power laws.
10
:If you invest your time and commit your
actions into the right handful of virtues,
11
:you get a shockingly outsized return.
12
:But it is not immediately obvious
that what you do today to grow.
13
:In honesty, courage, love, or service will
pay off in a decade, let alone tomorrow.
14
:It often costs you dearly.
15
:It's only in taking these
actions consistently.
16
:From a place of purity and with the
hindsight of time that you can really
17
:see if becoming virtuous will pay
off Investing into a company you
18
:could say is all about investing in
the people who build the company.
19
:You're putting a huge sum of money,
which is stored energy into what someone
20
:else wants, the company they built
that you hope will generate massive
21
:amounts of value or energy over time.
22
:Experiencing the power of law,
growth of virtue is like that.
23
:You invest not in what you selfishly
want now, but in what God wants.
24
:You commit your will in your life, a
significant amount of your own energy
25
:into following and worshiping God.
26
:The more you do, the bigger the returns.
27
:The real trick is to invest everything
you have, surrender it all to
28
:the gamble of following Jesus.
29
:There is no hedging your bets here.
30
:Go all in.
31
:Model your life after Jesus
become his apprentice.
32
:Seek to grow in virtue by abiding in Him.
33
:Virtues are so significant
because everything good in your
34
:life depends on your character.
35
:If you don't invest in growing in
virtue, eventually it catches up to you.
36
:You might gain the whole world,
but lose your soul quotes.
37
:The kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field which
38
:a man found and covered up.
39
:Then in his joy, he goes and sells
all that he has and buys that field.
40
:Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
merchant in search of fine pearls, who
41
:on finding one pearl of great value, went
and sold all that he had and bought it.
42
:Jesus in Matthew 13 versus 45 through 46.
43
:For what is more consistent with
faith than to acknowledge ourselves
44
:naked of all virtue that we may be
clothed by God, empty of all good,
45
:that we may be filled by him slaves
to sin, that we may be liberated by
46
:him blind, that we may be enlightened
by him laying that we may be guided
47
:weak, that we may be supported by him
48
:to divest ourselves of all ground of
glory in that he alone may be eminently
49
:glorious and that we may glory in
Him by John Calvin in his book,
50
:institutes of the Christian Religion,
51
:Questions, Who are you becoming?
52
:Are you on a path to growing in virtue?
53
:What is one small area you
are compromising in that
54
:you can address today?
55
:What stronghold do you need to
surrender or re-surrender to God?
56
:Use these questions as journal prompts
or prayers for this week, Endnote.
57
:Entrust yourself to God today.
58
:It's the best investment
you could ever make.
59
:Live wisely Josh.
