Invest in Yourself

This year is the 30th anniversary of my leaving my homeland — skipping a war — in order to be safe in the United States. I begin this post with a huge Thank You to the many of you who have helped and supported me over the decades.

Investing in myself was a key concept I learned early on, and one I emphasize in my workshops and trainings to this day. Honestly — if you don’t invest in yourself, why should anyone else?

Sometimes it’s easier said than done. In my case, investing in myself meant that I was homeless for a while. I’ve experienced losing it all. Yes, I’ve been fortunate to make some money, and I have also lost money and will probably continue to see those ups and downs as long as I live!

The key is that if you are not investing in yourself, no one else will. Investment can be short term. Policy needs to be a long-term mindset. Here I mean that if I invest in a business or a setting or a relationship, I need to make sure that I am fully invested, paying attention, and on board.

And, if it doesn’t go the way I want it to go, I have to invest the time to reflect back on what did or didn’t work — at least my perception and hopefully with some reality —by asking the question from the other side of it, or looking at it objectively.

It’s painful to share my story’s relevance in this day and age, with the pandemic swirling around us. You sit and reflect and think maybe it’s not going the way you wanted it to. Well, what can you do about it today?

Can you invest in yourself today to make a better you tomorrow or a better year from now or six years in the future?

One thing I learned is that when you invest in yourself the journey you take becomes your experience no matter what happens. That experience is unique to you, and it is up to you to reflect on it, package it, and sell it, or utilize it to support others around you.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. What have you done to invest in yourself?

2. What methods have you utilized to invest in your work?

3. What else do you think about when we say Invest in Yourself?