Avoid the Limelight

"Avoid the limelight", a portfolio manager yelled at me as a parting sentence. I was taken aback. In our business, my role as a strategist seems to be the opposite, namely to grab the attention of my investment audience in order to get portfolio trades implemented. Yet somehow I have followed her advice in recent years: I subconsciously take vacation days at times when my investment case is being discussed amongst the investors, or I discuss my case with individuals and it is them who advertise my ideas to others by word of mouth rather than me.

I was reminded of the "avoid the limelight" advice when in my spiritual community at the Personal Development for Smart People we discussed the cases of some fallen gurus who may have been much less enlightened then you think. While in the beginning they may have had something, their psychic powers and power over people slowly corrupted them. I ask myself how this can be? If you are really connected to the Tao you do get cues along the way to keep you on track. Apparently it is the same old story, power corrupts! You turn a blind eyes to the teaching of the Tao as you fall in love with yourself. Well, here is my advice to you: avoid the limelight and everything will be fine.