Investments
Not all investments are equal.
So many things we learn today are of little value in a few years. Knowledge becomes obsolete, car technology changes, programming frameworks change, computer operating systems change, tax laws change, certifications expire, and so on.
Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. Time flies. We invest many hours of our life in our job, and we can never get those hours back. Yet, we must earn a living.
Life makes many demands on us, but we should never neglect investing in ourselves and our dreams.
Invest In Yourself
The wealthy pay close attention to their investments. In the same way, we, as dream builders, pay close attention to the investments we make in ourselves. By investing in ourselves we gain many benefits such as a sense of purpose, satisfaction, growth, contribution, and significance. These are some of the key ingredients for a fulfilling life.
A fulfilling life is a lifetime of learning and growing. We must allocate time for learning. We need fresh ideas, perspective, insight and inspiration. We can read books that we're attracted to. We can read the biographies of people we admire or are curious about. We can take classes. We can seek experiences through travel that recharge and inspire us. Whatever our dream is, we keep it alive and growing. We keep learning and investing.
As dream builders, we practice our craft. This gives the ability to say we are living our dream. Practicing helps us validate and perfect what we learn. It is in "the doing" that new ideas are generated. And of course, our practice is how we use our gifts to serve others.
As we learn and practice, we have something to share. The more we learn and practice, the more we have. The more we have, the more we can share. Sharing helps us to learn more deeply. It gives us confidence in our understanding. Find a way to share your knowledge. This is how society should work. Sharing helps us to become known. Sharing over a long period of time helps us to become a trusted resource.
Learning, practicing, and sharing work together to maximize our investment.
Self Investment Is Not Selfish
If we have the right values and principles in place, then seeking to improve ourselves is not selfish. In fact, I argue that it is a privilege afforded by few on this planet. Maybe it is even a responsibility.
The more we invest in ourselves, the better we can serve others, the better the world becomes.
Self Investment Creates Abundance
We might think of abundance as a flow of good things coming to us. But abundance is about good things flowing from us.
When we invest in ourselves, we start the process of small gains day-by-day. Over time, we begin to accumulate more than we can use. This accumulation gives the ability to share generously, without fear of loss. That is abundance.
Invest Wisely
Not all investments are profitable. We should pay careful attention to what we invest in. I have learned this the hard way. I have invested in things that had no real value over the long term. A good question to ask is: will this benefit me for the rest of my life even if my dream fails? For example, I spend some of my time writing a photography tutorial. If I never finish it, or it never sells, I still profit from the knowledge I gain. Photography is a lifelong hobby for me, so I will always benefit from the time I invest.
Finally
We must see the value of something before we pursue it. The value of investing in ourselves can make life mean something far greater than we imagined, more than we thought possible. It will improve our lives every day, forever.
Part I-V
This is the final part of a five part series.
These five articles will be the core of my second booklet titled: "BUILDER - The five pillars of following your dream and building something that matters." The five pillars are: Do what you Believe In, Serve People You Care About, Know Your Business, Execute well, and Invest in Yourself (this post).
And of course I will link to Book II in future posts.
To your success!
"If a man empties his purse into his head no man can take it from him. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -Ben Franklin
What is your dream?
My dream is to write small but powerful books that simplify success, and plant them like seeds.
My first book is "How to Build a Foundation for your Dreams." You can read it FREE at www.jamesonsuccess.com/books.
If you know any dreamers who could greatly benefit from this article, feel free to forward this email to them. I believe success is learned and good ideas are seeds that need to be sown.