Summary
Many people focus on investing in stocks, real estate and business ventures. While these avenues are obviously very lucrative and areas that you should explore, there’s a far more valuable asset that you can invest in. This is an investment that promises infinite returns on a long-term basis with zero risk. The more you invest, the higher your returns, no compromise.
It sounds too good to be true but I assure you such an investment exists. Of all the investments I’ve made, this is the only one that has proven to be the most worthy of my time, effort and money. I am talking about investing in the greatest asset there is: you.
By taking steps to invest in your earning power, you’ll become better equipped for higher financial gains. This is about putting the time, effort and money into your ability to reach your goals faster and more efficiently with fewer risks of failure.
I’m sharing the four main areas you should invest in. This includes airing your ideas and checking their viability, honing your skills and adding to them, growing your knowledge through learning, and empowering your vision by having either a dedicated coach or joining a mastermind group. Each of these areas will increase your power to earn and grow, not only financially but also personally.
Transcript:
When people think of investments, they think business, stocks and real estate. What if I told you there is an investment far more lucrative than those three big-hitters combined? It’s an investment that promises infinite returns with zero risk. The more you invest, the higher your returns, no compromise. Would you be interested?
It sounds too good to be true but I assure you such an investment exists. It is one that I make constantly and it has always proven itself to be worthy. The investment is in you.
By taking steps to invest in your earning power, you’ll become better equipped for higher financial gains. This is about putting in the time, effort and money into your ability to reach your goals faster and more efficiently with fewer risks of failure.
Many people are hesitant to take these steps because they don’t understand the difference between a cost and an investment. You are accountable for achieving your own goals. As a result of this, you are responsible for discovering your capabilities and strengths, and improving them so that you create the greatest probability of success.
Through strategic thought and planning you can, and should, invest in making yourself the best that you can be.
Test Your Ideas
We all have ideas in our head. The difference between mediocrity and excellence is whether or not those ideas remain in the head as passive daydreams or are realized through decisive action. When you keep ideas to yourself, what happens is they eventually die and any hope of you achieving success dies along with it. Investing in an idea doesn’t mean registering a company and taking out your life savings to start a business blindly, it’s about taking action by checking its viability.
In order to invest in your ideas, test them out. Ask friends, colleagues and family members if it would be something they would pay for, or if they knew of people who would purchase it. A quick search online is an easy way to check if there are already people doing what you’ve been thinking about. Are they successful? What are their shortcomings? Have you come up with a completely unique idea that is pure innovation?
This quick investment in testing out ideas that are swimming in your head is an easy way to know whether or not to pursue them further or move on to something new. Ideas can be and are your future.
Sharpen Your Skillset
There is always room for improvement and there is always potential to reach a level of mastery. Take advantage of your natural strengths and existing skills by making a commitment to invest in them.
If you’re in sales and already have a good closing rate, why not strive to make it even better? Take a sales course and learn how to match the right buyer and the right seller. Alternatively if you think you’re lacking in a core area of your career ambitions, seek opportunities to close the gap by learning the necessary skills.
Consider what improvements you want to see in your performance. Rather than wishing you were better at something, take steps to actually be better at something. Think about the outcome that you want for yourself, and then invest in the areas that will bring you there.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money; again this is about your willingness to invest time and effort. If you want to be a smarter marketer, read books about marketing or join an online marketing course. It is as powerful as it is simple, yet not a lot of people do it.
Expand Your Knowledge
When it comes to learning, it could be that you want to advance your formal education. Perhaps you’ve always wanted a Masters degree; why haven’t you got it yet? Extra classes and relevant certifications are all valuable investments that can directly affect your earning power. That said, I am not suggesting that a formal education is the only way to go. Although I was accepted into university I never attended it.
Learning doesn’t have to mean signing up for college. There are hundreds of avenues you can take to expand your mind’s horizons including workshops, seminars, conferences and webinars. Stay current in your niche by following expert blogs, latest news and subscribing to publications. Joining a membership site or downloading an eBook in your area of expertize or a subject that you simply want to know more about will bring you closer to your goal. Audio in the car is one of my favorite ways to learn as well as online seminars. Think about the time you spend in your car each day commuting. Many people could do an entire university education in a year just during their commute.
With more knowledge and understanding, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions that can change your life. Whatever you want to learn today, it is likely readily available.
Hire a Professional Coach or Mastermind Group
Most of the world’s top athletes have coaches. The role of a sports coach is defined by the United Kingdom Coaching Strategy as one that, “enables the athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left to their own endeavors.”
Coaches teach but are not teachers, they are bossy but aren’t your boss and while they don’t have to be great at a sport, they can push athletes to reach world-class success. Take, for example, tennis champion Rafael Nadal, three-time world number one and winner of 14 Grand Slams. He attributes much of his success to his coach, Toni Nadal, who in his youth was ranked in the Spanish top 30 players but failed to reach anywhere near the success Rafael has. So how is it that a man who hasn’t had tennis success, has the ability to coach another to be one of the best in the world?
A professional coach will identify and focus on measured steps you can take to accelerate success. They give you absolute clarity on your goals and are able to determine the gaps between where you are and where you want to be. Coaches observe, judge, then guide.
By investing in a coach you not only gain a competitive advantage, you also become accountable. Having someone whose purpose is to keep you on track and achieve your goal is one of the most motivating ways to succeed. Just consider the difference in outcomes between a person trying to lose weight on their own, in comparison to someone who hires a personal instructor.
Now of course, a private coach comes with a price. So if you haven’t yet reached that level of financial comfort, this investment may simply be out of your budget. If that’s the case, consider joining a mastermind group. They are far more affordable and you gain the support from multiple likeminded people, who are all striving towards a goal similar to yours. These peers will not only keep you motivated to succeed, but will also be great individuals to bounce ideas around with. It’s very common that the outcome of a masterminding session leads to joint ventures that are win-win for everyone involved.
When left to rely on your own motivations and willpower, it’s easy to slip into procrastination, make half-hearted efforts and come up with excuses. A coach will see your potential, strengths and weaknesses objectively, in a way you simply cannot. Likewise a mastermind group will allow you to achieve more in a faster period of time by inspiring you to keep going, especially in times when you feel like giving up.
You Are an Investment, Not a Cost
A cost is an expenditure of money, time or resources. An investment is an expenditure with high possibilities of a return. Never feel that spending time, money or effort on improving yourself, on expanding your knowledge or on becoming a better person, is a cost.
Consider the potential returns you may receive as a direct result of any decision you make. Ask yourself, “will this activity bring me closer to my end goal?” If the answer is yes, the effort you put in is an investment.
There are four main areas that I suggest you invest in: your ideas, your skills, your knowledge and a coach/mastermind. I believe these are the vehicles that will bring you success faster, easier and with more efficiency if you take decisive steps to focus on them. Each of these areas will increase your power to earn and grow, not only financially but also personally. As long as you know where you want to be and pay attention to what will get you there, you will never lose out. That to me, makes it the best investment you can make.
