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What do you automatically think of when we talk about investing? You probably assume we’re talking about stocks and shares, or pensions and property.
But have you ever thought of yourself as an asset? If you think about it, none of the money stuff matters if you don’t put yourself first. Because nothing is going to happen, unless you start investing in yourself first.
So, let’s talk about improving and nurturing the best asset you’ve got. You.
You Are Your Best Asset
We spend a lot of time and energy on other people and other things. Why don’t we spend that time and energy on ourselves; develop ourselves as the best assets we’ve got?
If you improved your prospects at work, for example, you might get a promotion. If you could make more sales, you’d grow your income. You might discover a completely new career that you didn’t even know existed. One you perhaps didn’t know about when you were younger but is something you want to do now.
I’ve heard so many people say, “Oh, I would do X if I had the money,” or, “I would do Y if I had the time.” You totally CAN do these things. Perhaps you’re just putting barriers in the way, because there’s a little part of you that said; you won’t achieve it. Often, we hold ourselves back because we’re scared of the unknown. We’re scared of doing something different that isn’t the status quo.
Countless times, people have asked me why I do what I do as a coach, when I’m already a doctor? Is it not enough? The answer is basically this: If you love doing something different, why not do more of what you love? Focus on actually making something of your passion and earn money from it. There’s nothing wrong with that. Building yourself up as the best asset you’ve got is a really, really good use of time, money, and energy resources.
How to Improve or Change Your Life
Let’s look at a few examples of what you could do in order to build yourself and improve or change your life. Perhaps you want to completely change direction. Here are some ideas on how you could get started.
Beginner Entry to Personal Development
To get started, the first – and cheapest — options available include things like reading books, listening to podcasts, or listening to books online. There are all sorts of resources you can access for free as well, such as helpful and informative blogs.
These resources are a low entry barrier into personal development. You can get a book pretty much on any topic you want to learn about. And if it doesn’t exist, that could be your niche to get started with! But essentially, if it’s something you want to learn, it’s highly likely that someone has packaged their expertise into a resource for you to use. So, have a look. Check out any freebies that are available; have a look on YouTube. Look for all different things that you can read and get lots of different perspectives.
See if there’s something that you want to learn that’s available for free. At least, find some books on Amazon, or use Audible. I absolutely love my audible account. I’m very happy to pay the subscription every month so that I always have a fresh book to read. There’s always something new, like a new technique, or an inspirational quote.
If there’s something like that for you and it means getting yourself an audio subscription, perfect. Do it. But you don’t have to do Audible. You could go via your library; a lot of books are available from your library online as well.
Ultimately, you don’t have to spend money. This is the most accessible entry level into personal development and it’s the perfect starting point.
Courses and Self-Development
When you’re ready to level up and invest some money in yourself, you might want to look at some courses. Perhaps there’s a particular area you want to study. It might be a case of going to your local college for night courses, or you might find a suitable one that you can do online.
There will be cheap courses, and there will be expensive courses. For example, with the Open University you’ll be required to fully enrol as a student. As it’s a university, that will be more expensive than picking up a course on Teachable or similar.
Life Coaches, Money Coaches, Business Coaches
Another great way to invest in yourself is to hire a coach. If you go to the gym and want targeted results, you’d hire a personal trainer. If you want help with your money, you go to a money coach (like me!). You want help with your life or career, you hire a life coach, or a business coach to give you direction.
You can even get a coach to help your child poo in a potty! You can find a coach for pretty much everything. So have a look, see what’s available. Of course, it will take more of your time, effort and money. The higher you want to climb the scale, the more you’re going to have to invest in yourself.
When you value yourself enough and you really want to make a change, having a coach can be the quickest, easiest route to making it happen. Yes, you could learn it from a book. You could learn it from a free YouTube video. But actually, having a coach there to encourage you and hold your hand, to be your biggest cheerleader, helps you to cut through the noise. A good coach will guide you along the right path to get you to your end result.
Of course, hiring a coach is going to cost more, but it’s totally worth it. Every coach should have their own coach. I’ve personally had several mentors and coaches all the way through my journey, and they’ve been invaluable. I completely advocate coaching, hand on heart (Yes, I’m a money coach as well, and I would love to work with you!). Regardless, having somebody there, to support you one-on-one, is just fantastic.
Mentors to Help You
And then, of course, there are mentors. They could be mentors in your workspace or someone to help you get involved in property investing, for example. You can attend networking meetings with other people and find someone who is already experienced in what you want to get into. Having mentors is actually a really nice way of starting to learn the trade and the industry.
It might be that you can do some work experience or shadow someone, especially when you’re younger and at school. In fact, for youngsters it’s something that’s actively encouraged. As we get older and need to pay our bills, that’s not so easy to do. But there might be ways you can volunteer. There might be a job for you that perhaps won’t pay much money but is a perfect opportunity to learn as you go.
Be Prepared to Pay for Value
One thing I will say, though, is don’t tap these people up for free stuff when their knowledge is available via a course or other resources that’s available to buy. The valuable knowledge they’ve put together is not just something they’ve knocked up. It’s a product or service they’ve created, which is collated from years worth of their own learning, hard work, and experience.
Coaches and mentors have already invested a huge amount of time and energy into their products and services (they’ve been investing in themselves to do this, believe me). So, if there’s something you want to learn, buy their course. Pay for them to be your coach. Don’t hit them up for free tips and advice. Speaking from experience, I’ve had that happen to me before. I’ve probably done it inadvertently to other people as well, and it’s just not cool. Instead, if you like what this person is offering, pay the money and get the best service you can.
So, these are some examples of what you can do in order to grow and improve the amazing asset that you are.
Make it Happen, No Excuses!
Statements such as “Well, I can’t do this because…’ or, “I can’t do that because…” are actually excuses you’re making for yourself. If you can’t do something because you don’t have time or money, or you can’t do something because you don’t have the energy, fix that. Find a way, because there is always a way.
I’ve used it myself — even recently! I’ve made excuses about something that I didn’t want to do. I was putting barriers in the way. And I thought of all of these things I couldn’t do. I totally can do them! I was making excuses that it was too much effort, and time, and all kinds of stuff.
It IS possible. if you want to change something, it is absolutely possible. If it means doing a couple of hours every day after the kids have gone to bed — late into the evening — then do it!
Yes, it’s really important to get enough sleep and chill time. But actually, if you really have a desire to change your life and do something different, you’ve got to find the time somehow, right? You’ve got to make it happen. If it means the house is messy for a week, so be it. You’re not going to be able to move on unless you give your goals focus, because what we focus on expands.
If we’re constantly focusing on our problems, we’re never going to overcome them. So, focus on the possibilities and what you can do in order to change your life. Start stepping forward. It might be a career change. It might be a complete industry change, or it might be a promotion. It could be that actually, you can climb the next rung on the ladder because the right mentor has helped you level up. It’s going to be worth it.
In Summary
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying go out and hustle every hour of the day. But ultimately, if you want to change your life, do different things, and improve the flow of money into your life, you need to work on yourself. You’re the biggest asset you’ve got.
If you want to chat about money and discuss your next steps on your journey to wealth, book a 15- minute strategy session with me and we’ll work out your next steps.
