Invest in yourself, invest in your future
If you haven't checked out Steve Pavlina's blog yet, you should. It's shaping up to be another clear voice in the passion choir.
A couple days ago, he had a great post on the importance of investing in yourself. We can get so focused on investing in other things - our possessions, our financial investments, our families, our businesses, our vacations, etc. - that we can forget to invest in our greatest long-term asset, ourselves.
The funny thing is, the more you can invest in yourself, the more you'll have to contribute to your own future.
To start creating a self-investment habit, Steve suggests something he learned from Brian Tracy, investing 3% of your income on personal development. That personal development could be books, coaching, workshops, or any number of possibilities that focus on giving you a greater awareness of yourself and/or adding more tools to your toolbox.
If 3% seems like too much right now, you can start off with less. The key is to simply start doing it. Steve suggests an idea for building the habit:
Just write on your calendar on the 1st of each month: “Invest 3% in myself.” Then when that date comes up, figure out how much money you made the previous month, and then decide how you’ll spend it. If you can, spend it right away – easy when you order online. Remember that this is an investment; the money you spend here will be repaid in the long run based on how you invest it.
Remember that investing in yourself isn't frivolous or selfish. It's about investing in the three things you are guaranteed to have with you the rest of your life - your mind, body and spirit. Take care of them, cultivate them, and your possibilities will continue to expand.
Curt Rosengren
One recommendation is to take an improv class. I did this about 10 years ago and still have not regretted it. It really helps you to think on your feet and to be ready for any curve ball your boss (or kids) my throw your way. And its fun, too!!
Posted by: Tim | February 07, 2005 at 07:58 PM