We should always strive to learn and invest in ourselves beyond qualifications and university degrees.
Information is so readily available these days that there is little to no excuse for why anyone can’t learn anything. A great tool I use every day is YouTube (premium I can’t stand the Ads) to learn everything from recipes for my kid’s meals to financial concepts for my business.
The main sources of knowledge or information once upon a time used to be from teachers, books and newspapers. We still have those today but the internet has sped up the process and has given us different ways to consume knowledge.
It’s never been so easy to invest in your education. You can learn a new language, a skill, how to code, how to start a business, learn finance, how to cook, how to be healthy, how to network with people, start a new career, the list is endless.
What self-investment would triple your returns?
First of all, let’s scrap the idea that all investing is just for financial gain. Without the most important person to run the show (which is you) no investment is worth taking on.
Health
The number one investment known to man. Steps to investing in your overall health are key to tripling everything else.
If you’ve maintained a healthy physic by some sort of exercise or hitting the gym a few days of the week then you’re doing very well.
Some people unfortunately pick up bad habits like smoking, drugs, overeating or excessive drinking. This will triple your decline and give you nothing in return but poor health and bad side effects during your lifetime.
A dad who has taken care of his health can live long enough to see his kids grow and maybe even enjoy the company of his grandkids or his great-grandkids. If you don’t have children yet but plan to do so one day, it’s a good idea to stay healthy regardless of that day in sight.
Skill Sets
You may work a job where you do the same task day in and day out. The opportunity to learn something new might not be present in your workplace. This shouldn’t stop you from learning a new skill set that you can put to use to enhance your job, start a business or change in career.
A skill set is the combination of knowledge, personal qualities, and abilities. Intentionally learning new skills can reward you in the workplace or your personal life.
Learning how to teach and communicate effectively for example can open doors to new ventures like public speaking and return further unforeseen opportunities.
Another example of a skill set is data analysis. Learning this skill before investing in the stock market can give you a triple advantage to see details, patterns and trends others don’t see.
Appearance
How you dress in public is how you communicate to the world who you are. This overlooked part of a person can make decisions for you without you saying a word.
Unfortunately, we’re judged and make judgments unto others by their dress sense and even hairstyle. Dr Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, broke down the components of a face-to-face conversation and said 55% is visual, 38% vocal and only 7% verbal.
That’s 93% non-verbal meaning how you look and the tone of your voice decides who you are in this world.
You can’t do too much about your tone besides sound more confident and speak clearly but investing in your appearance seems important.
A well-dressed man can command to be respected and listened to or even turn the eye of a beautiful woman (if that’s the return you desire).
Relationships
“You’re the average of the five people spend the most time with,” this applies to the law of averages. If you don’t seek to learn how to build relationships outside your five people you’ll remain like those people.
There is nothing wrong with having long-term friendships and relationships that don’t look for anything beyond banter. On the other hand, if you want growth you must look to build other relationships.
A great example is the upper class who intentionally choose to send their children to private school. It’s not just for educational advantages but to build future relationships with other wealthy families.
Learning to build or network in the right relationships can have a huge impact on your investment. It can be the difference in how your future pans out.
Knowledge
An obvious section to invest in before you make any significant decisions or moves.
Read, listen or watch high-value content every day to expand your mind not just for entertainment.
Having focused periods of learning to gain knowledge on a chosen topic or subject will save you time and unnecessary mistakes.
A personal example was when I started a food van. If I’d learned beforehand how to power the cooking equipment and the different volts and wattage needed I would have saved myself so much money.
Another great example is financial literacy which I believe everyone should learn to avoid unnecessary debt and to build financial security. A simple tool like a budget planner can change how people behave and manage their money.
What is the Market?
The market can be anything from the stock market to the job market, or even the dating market. In other words, the market is whatever you want in return for an exchange of your energy, time or money.
You could have an interest in the real estate market and want to invest to get a good return.
Number one invest in yourself by learning as much as you can about that market. Speak to the people in that market, read books on that market.
Watch videos on how it works, and network with people who’ve historically got good returns from that market. If you must work in that market then you’ll have the best insight to make a sound investment and triple your returns.
