I want to stress the value of your ass–et.
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.
Don’t be confused: Value and worth are 2 different things. We are all born with certain skills, gifts, and abilities unique from everyone else’s.
Since were born with these gifts we don’t get to take credit for them.
Our worth or worthiness in terms of value, is absolutely NOT what I am referring to.
I am talking about building value in the one thing that can return more value back to you as a result. Whenever we can invest something and gain more back, we have made a wise investment. When we invest wisely, we build assets that build value for as long as we have them.
I’m Talking About Investing In YOU – Your Biggest Asset
Since I was little, I always found ways to create business for myself, always believing that I would be able to figure things out and take care of myself – and create the future that I wanted.
I was always willing to evaluate the time and money investment vs. the payoff for myself- not just for the short term, but for the long term.
I was always asking this question:
How can I learn what I need to know that will gain me as much as I can gain back? How can I invest this time and/or money in myself right now to return even more in the long run?
Whatever it was, I was always looking at the gain that was available to decide whether I thought it was worth it. I gained knowledge from:
- Taking classes that would help me do my job more easily
- Joining boards or groups through my local Association or Chamber to learn and grow
- Pursuing certifications and educational advancements to better myself
- Taking the lead role in heading up a group at work for a charity project or book club
My philosophy has always been to invest and create the most valuable asset that I can- and that asset is me. And that asset for you- is you.
Investing: Choosing What is Best for Success
After building myself as an asset, I built a company that held many assets.
My building company’s assets included things that had value: homes under construction, land under contract, floor plans, systems, and software. Investing in the assets of the company was what allowed the company to make a profit. Without the investment of assets, there would be no ability to generate revenue and profits.
There was also value and assets in the people, talent, aspect, and culture. When it came time to sell the company, it was important to find a buyer that assigned value to those assets as well – since they are tremendously valuable to companies seeking success.
We wanted the investment to be protected and seen as valuable – because it was. We invested in the Team with time, money and resources. The Team had invested in themselves and were valuable, not only as part of the company but as individual assets, too. They, individually, had value based on their knowledge, skillsets, wisdom, and experience.
Taking Control of Your Assets
The value of the company is significantly affected by the talent: each individual adds value to the company.
Most people don’t see it this way.
Many don’t want all the responsibility that comes with the pressure of their financial futures. So, many people defer to the performance of a 401K for retirement or the stock market – or wait for their companies to promote them.
In each of these cases, they don’t take control of what they can control- they give control, power and responsibility away to other people and things. How?
- They trust stockbrokers to make decisions about their money.
- They trust and wait for their companies to determine when they can make more money.
They give away control because it feels more comfortable:
- to be disappointed if your crypto stock crashes and you lose money than to fail the exam for the certification that you are pursuing.
- to be mad at a company for having a stock price crash due to a bad CEO than it does to feel bad about making mistakes while you pursue a promotion.
Control of your own decisions and what you get to learn from failing gives you pride. You’ll know that despite mistakes, failures and problems along the way, you achieved and accomplished your goals.
There’s nothing better than that feeling- and we rob ourselves of that so often.
Why? Because we’d rather not feel disappointed with ourselves over the potential of making a mistake. When this happens, you are not choosing and deciding to believe in yourself enough to take that control and responsibility.
Invest in Yourself First: Build the BEST YOU
I’m not saying that 401K’s or that investing in bonds or stocks is not a good idea. I’m not saying NOT to trust your company, employer or boss.
Here’s what I am saying:
I will invest my chips in me first and what I can do and what I can control FIRST, before anyone or anything else. I’ll always have skin in the game when it comes to my future plans and goals – as much as I can.
I recently chatted with a very successful corporate leader. Her philosophy is to always give feedback to her employees who want to grow and guide them where they need to improve. She also lets them know where they can go to find ways to improve, such as joining groups, taking classes, finding a mentor, or getting training/coaching.
Many companies have generous budgets to train and develop people. It breeds loyalty. But – it’s not up to them to invest in you. It’s up to you to invest in you.
The one who benefits from the investment the most is you, because the asset being built is YOURS. Wherever you go in this world, you get to take your best ass-et with you (YOURSELF)!
What does that mean?
It starts with deciding to believe in yourself enough to take the responsibility for your future, financial well-being, plans and of course…invest in yourself every way you can.
Because You are SO Worth It: Words of Wisdom
- The best way to create the work-life balance you seek is to learn something new and build your talents and skillsets outside of work hours.
- Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that this isn’t aligned with your priorities. Evaluate your priorities for your life every day – when you do, others will notice.
- Operate from the place of making yourself as valuable as you can through experience…this wisdom will carry with you for life.
- Have – and be – a mentor to someone else. It’s the best way to reflect how much you value learning and growing. Mentoring others reflects your willingness to grow.
- Master your responsibilities, ask to take on more, request a promotion, show and bring your value, growth, and new skillsets every day.
- Take full responsibility for the decisions you make for your future. Bet on yourself. When you doubt, or want to hold back, ask what’s causing you to feel that way?
When we ran the homebuilding company, we trusted ourselves implicitly. If anyone was going to make the best, smartest, strategic, resourceful decisions for our futures, it was going to be us. We would not leave our financial futures in the hands of someone else.
We were willing to put all our chips back in after every win, every single time, year after year to build a successful company. There are secrets to success, but none of them matter if you are not willing to bet on yourself.
If you don’t believe in your ability to make the best decisions for you, there are no secrets to success that anyone can teach you.
It’s your job – and your job alone – to create the most value in yourself and for your company.
If you want to maximize:
- how much you get paid
- how much you are needed
- what position they need you to fulfill
- how much responsibility you have
- how much you get to lead the path for the future of your organization
It’s on you to create that for yourself.
Bet on yourself. YOU ARE YOUR BIGGEST ASSET.
Your company needs you. Your family needs you. You need you to do this to create the life you want for yourself.
Check out Strive Leadership Development! Learn from someone who has created an incredible life and is committed to keep working every day to lead themselves and others through new challenges of learning.