Investing In Yourself

Are You Investing - In Yourself?

9/8/2019

How Do You Invest In Yourself

Investing in yourself is the best investing you can do. The return is always the highest and keeps paying dividends your whole life. How do you do this? There are several ways, for example learning a skill, gaining new (non-gossip) knowledge, improving your physical condition, building a relationship, obtaining new tools.

Choose something that appeals to you, or that you can make use of. The point is that by making you the best version of yourself you will also make yourself more valuable and more happy.

Isn't that our job-definition as humans?

Be the best human being that you can be and improve humanity by doing that. If you wait for someone to give these opportunities to you, you run the risk that there won't be a good fit. Self-directed investing in yourself is best.

Examples of each might include:

learning a skill - CAD, Sketch-Up, podcasting, video capture/editing, spreadsheet usage, business writing;
gaining new (non-gossip) knowledge - a language, coding, economics, geometry, acoustics, color theory;
improving your physical condition - eating habits, exercise, better sleep, meditation/stress relief;
building a relationship - time with friends, join a group, date night with spouse, a mutual activity with a sibling or child;
obtaining new tools - software/apps, 3D printer, tablet, wood chisels, books.

We are all different, so there isn't a recipe for investing in yourself. Some people like the hands-on stuff, others like the ’head’ stuff, and yet others like the social approach. Many of my examples can be gotten from books or the Internet. A 3D printer might be something you band together with others to obtain or use.

Use a simple thought exercise to get you started. If your long-forgotten aunt, or Bill Gates, or the lottery sent millions of dollars your way, you could do whatever you want. So, what would you do? What do you like to do so much that you would do it just because you like doing it? If this doesn't give you a black and white answer there should at least be a gray area for you to begin to explore. List as many steps as you can think of that would take you in the direction you have chosen. Set an objective or two. Now arrange the steps in a logical sequence that will take you toward your goals. Break down the first step into things that take just a few minutes to do. Do one or two of these every day. Find a system that makes it automatic.

That's all there is to it. You are on your way. Use your favorite reminder technique to remember to take even a tiny step toward your objective every day. You will be amazed at the way you find help everywhere. Help was always been there, you just notice it now because you are more focused.

Start investing in yourself today!

BTW this idea isn't mine, but I don't remember where I lifted it. I do know it works, and that it is worthwhile. Another similar idea can be found in this interview with Scott Adams, the Dilbert cartoonist.

The book that he mentions, How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big, can be found by following this link to Amazon. Or this one will take you to Apple iBooks.