F53-043: How Much And When To Invest In Yourself

Show Summary: Today's show is about how much and when to invest in yourself. Let's break this down a little bit. First, the why and the when. When do you invest in yourself? Immediately. If not, sooner. Back in 1998, I was on the help desk answering tech support phone calls for a company called Perot Systems, which is Ross Perot's old company. I had the opportunity to go to a Window's boot camp because this was a big deal back then. It was new cutting edge technology. I was going to be certified at the end of it. It was a two and a half-week intensive where you studied and took test type of thing. So I went there and I was investing in myself and although the company paid for, it's was a significant time investment. Passing the test and getting certified were valuable but the one of the people I met there became my manager a couple of years later because of the relationship and investment I built and just being a good person. And that same manager became my manager fifteen years after that, the first time I met him again at a second company. Investing in something doesn't always bring good immediate results. Hopefully, everyone realizes that you are reaping what you sow. The seed you plant now will be the fruit and the food you get later on in life, two or three months from now. In my case, it was 15 years from the time I've met Dave. Therefore, immediately is when you should start investing in yourself. It doesn't have to be a boot camp but hopefully that illustrates the power of investing in yourself and it certainly has for me. Why invest in yourself? To reap rewards you never expected How much? Be careful to not be only a consumer of this information and always on the hunt or always consuming it that you're consuming it so much that you'll rot and you'll never take action. You're always wanting to learn more or think you need to learn more to get in the perfect place before you do something, this podcast being a good example. It actually took 6-8 months before I actually took action. I read a lot of blogs and people and tried to model a lot of them. I was consuming too much that I should have taken action sooner. Be mindful of the dollars. Especially now with all the info products, digital downloads, and webinars, etc., you have to be mindful of how much money you spend. It is easy to get wrapped up and get caught with $5 or $6, $200 or $99 programs that really aren't that valuable information that you could have gotten otherwise or something you just don't need. Make it a part of your daily practice. Find some free things that you can integrate in everyday to reap rewards later in life or later in your business.   How to integrate this into your daily practice: Learn why you're on the go. Be aware. You don't have to sit down and read a book to gain knowledge or invest in your own education. When you're out with your family, be aware of your surroundings. When you see advertising on billboards, wall, or phone, know what works about it and what doesn't. When you walk into a retail store, notice how it's laid out, notice the customer service, the cleanliness, how you feel about it. When you interact with people at a professional place, notice how you feel, what they look like, how they talk to you. Get the sense of how you can integrate that into your life and business. You can always be learning.   Ways you can invest in yourself: Listen to podcasts. There are tons of awesome podcasts out there and gain a lot of value. YouTube This is a fantastic resource for any information. Find some legacy ones or just old stuff that doesn't come across well-written. Videos are great especially if you're a visual person like me. They are great for training and investing some time and they're free. Books You don't have to read them from cover to cover. Pick out the parts you like. Find books that speak to you. Find books that are in your business. Find books that other people recommend. I love books! Mastermind Groups There are free and paid versions of mastermind groups which I've talked about before. With mastermind groups, you get to surround yourself with like-minded people. Just be aware of the things you can't control: Members Skill sets Openness Just get in there and see if they're a good fit for you. Accountability Groups You come and say what you're going to do. You go do it or not. You come back and then the people in the group call you out on it. It's like a subset of a mastermind group. They are good for people who have focus issues so you can hold them accountable. These groups are often free. Conferences Watch people. Meet new people. Hear different stories. Oftentimes you can listen to 7 or 8 really good presenters or really good stories in a few hours. They also allow you to go elbow-to-elbow with other people in person than just watching them on YouTube. This can go from really inexpensive to spending thousands and thousands of dollars. They usually have a wide range of experiences and topics. If you don't already, at least check a couple out. Go to some local ones that don't cost that much to get a sense of what they're about. Coaching Hire a coach to see your blind spots to tell you what no one else is telling you. Successful people are surrounded by people that support, love them, encourage them, or for the really, really successful people, people that are just yes men. No one challenges them or their thoughts or get deeps with them. Coaches will help you see those blind spots and change your perspective on how you see things. It's literally life changing! Personally, I went from no endurance training to doing an Ironman. In short, I wanted to go from point zero to point 100 which was finishing the Ironman, which is a massive feat. The same holds true for a business or life in general. You start at a point and you want to go to point 100. There is no way in the world that I would have been able to do that without a coach to help me see my blind spots, to get me through the struggles I had, to encourage me. It was my own accountability knowing that I had someone that I would let down or disappoint if I didn't take care of my business. It was more of me feeling accountable to him that I owed him my best because he gave me his best coaching. Coaching to me, in any way, shape, or form, is beneficial if you get the right coach. There is no mystery that the greatest athletes in the world, the greatest business professionals in the world, the greatest anyone in the world have coaches to help them see their blind spots, tough spots, and things they normally wouldn't see. Invest in a coach. It's the best thing you'll do with your money this year. That's all for today. I hope you invest some time. Slow down. Smell the roses. Check out a book. Check out some YouTube. But, don't let that consume you. Take action and focus. Books, People, & Resources: eye9design - A boutique web design and WordPress agency that just celebrated 10 years in business (an eternity in the web design space). They built hundreds of websites for businesses of all sizes. Finding a web design company is hard. There are lots of options, lots of good ones but lots of bad ones. Let the team at eye9design take care of you. If you need a great website for a great price, visit www.focus53.com/eye9. Mention this ad and get 10%. Download the 15 Most Popular Tools Business Owners Should Be Using