There are many types of investments out there. Today we’re going to look at what’s arguably the best investment option out there.
I was totally surprised when an older friend told me how much money he had spent on his education. He want to school for a total of eight years after high school. Four years undergraduate studies and then four years of graduate school. When it was all said and done, an astronomical amount of money was spent on education.
Man you could’ve done so much with that kind of money!
That’s how I naturally reacted. His reaction was what you would expect. He told me that he wouldn’t have his job and everything else that he has if it wasn’t for his education. Duh!
I then started to think about this topic.
Why would you not invest in yourself? Why would you not spend money on yourself? Why would you not improve your worth and what you can offer this world?
And no I’m not talking about attending random “networking” events. Those are lame and are sold as “investments” because the promoter has to make money somehow. Keith Ferrazzi put it best in Never Eat Alone:
“The average attendees are often unemployed and too quick to pass on their resumes to anyone with a free hand — usually the hand of someone else who is unemployed and looking to pass on his resume.”
I’m talking about real investments in yourself.
What’s a real investment in yourself? I’ve written about this topic plenty of times on here. I’ll share a few quick ideas with you once again.
- Your education. This can be a formal education, part-time courses, or a certificate program.
- Cool experiences. Why haven’t you traveled the world yet? There’s so much cool stuff to do out there.
- Courses. You don’t need to go to college to attend courses. You can take private courses as well.
- Books. Someone does research for a LONG time and then you pay a few bucks for it. An amazing investment if you asked me.
For more details, check out my previous post on investing money in yourself and better options than the stock market.
Back to my original question:
Why would you not invest in yourself?
I’m not suggesting that you go out and spend your money on the first book that you see. However, I totally recommend that you invest your money into upgrading your skills.
How have you invested in yourself recently?
UPDATE! Since this post was originally published, many readers have left some great comments. I wanted to take a moment to highlight what Ryan had to say about investing in yourself.
“One of my favorite quotes is:
‘I never let my schooling get in the way of my education.’ — Mark Twain.
But anyway, yes, investing in yourself pays the best dividedends. Knowledge is power. I’ve invested in myself by starting a blog, and traveling a lot, which stems from my decision to come teach English in Korea.
I’m going to further invest in myself by making a solid effort to learn Korean. Actually, when you invest in yourself, it opens up other opportunities too. Since I came to Korea, I’ve also been introduced to Jiu Jitsu which I am learning. Had I not come to Korea, I might not have had the opportunity to Learn Korean, learn Jiu Jitstu, meet people from around the world, etc.
The return on investment is greater than sitting on my ass watching American Idol or other TV shows every night.”
Thank you for your insights and for being involved in the community Ryan. I look forward to sharing highlights from other readers.
I dropped a couple of hundred dollars on an online course recently. It’s an interesting subject, and my boss likes to hear about this kind of initiative. But I’ve also invested in a Wii fit and some make up because of statistics like this: http://www.mbaonline.com/beauty-benefits/
That sounds interesting. What was the online course all about?
I used to laugh at Wii Fit until I actually tried it. It’s pretty fun. I did the push up challenge against the computer. That computer stood no chance at all lol!
Yeah, the Wii is pretty fun, I convinced everyone in the house to at least try it, and some of them use it regularly now.
The course is about refining websites for mobile devices.
Maybe this falls under “cool experience,” but how about “launch an entrepreneurial endeavor”? While you can learn from schools, books, and other sources, some of the best lessons are learned through firsthand experience, past failures, and situations where you learned about yourself and what you’re capable of versus just learning about the external world. Milton Hershey failed several times in the candy making business before launching his iconic company. Likewise, Henry Ford failed several times before hitting it big with Ford Motor Company. In both instances, each man’s past failures increased their knowledge of what doesn’t work and sharpened their business acumen, thus sowing the seeds of resounding success.
One of my favorite quotes is “I never let my schooling get in the way of my education.” — Mark Twain. But anyway, yes, investing in yourself pays the best dividedends. Knowledge is power. I’ve invested in myself by starting a blog, and traveling a lot, which stems from my decision to come teach English in Korea. I am gonna further invest in myself by making a solid effort to learn Korean. Actually, when you invest in yourself, it opens up other opportunities too. Since I came to Korea, I’ve also been introduced to Jiu Jitsu which I am learning. Had I not come to Korea, I might not have had the opportunity to Learn Korean, learn Jiu Jitstu, meet people from around the world, etc. The return on investment is greater than sitting on my ass watching American Idol or other TV shows every night…
That’s definitely right on. You have one of the cooler stories. I’m totally jealous.
Good luck with the learning Korean, I don’t plan on trying that. I have dabbled in Jiu Jitsu though. I’m more of a fan of kickboxing, but BJJ or any form of it it, is an amazing workout.
Love what you say about investing in yourself – especially your education! Thanks for the positivity!
I’ve wasted enough money that I come from a starting point of incredibly cheap. Investing in myself has become difficult.
That said, I did spend more than $50 on supplies for testing my taco seasoning recipes and sending reviewer samples out, plus an extra $75 on copy writing for the sales page. It’s the first time I’ve invested in a venture instead of paying for stuff as money came in. Those other ventures failed, so hopefully this will help.
Glad to hear you took the leap to invest some money.
That’s not much at all in the grand scheme of things. Has it paid off at all yet?
That’s what I told myself to actually spend the money, even though it was half a month worth of the side income that I can use towards things like this.
So far no sales, but I didn’t create as much buzz and awareness pre-launch as I should have. I know this plan is sound, it’s just a matter of getting the message to the right audience.