Introduction
Are
you busy looking for success everywhere except the one place you can truly find
it? Does life seem like a futile chasing after the rainbow?
One
possible reason for this could be that you are not looking for success in the
right place. It is not in the environment around us or the circumstances we
face that we find success, but in ourselves.
The
simple fact is that if you are successful within, in your mind, you will be
successful on the outside as well. It may seem too simple thing, but it is
something we often forget when the pressures of life surround and overwhelm us.
When it comes to making everyday choices it usually does not occur to us.
Like
I have said before, your mind is your greatest asset. Like any asset, it needs
to be built up and improved continually. Abraham Lincoln said he didn’t “think
much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” He realised the
basic truth that continuous improvement is necessary if one is to be truly
successful.
Invest
in yourself – knowledge is a huge asset
Knowledge
is a powerful asset. It makes the difference between living in abundance and
living in lack. The only difference between the managing director in a company
and the maid in the same company is their knowledge. The MD knows something the
maid doesn’t. That is why he earns a hundred times more than she does.
It
is what you know that will bring you success. It’s what you don’t know that
will cause you to fail. Why then, do some get it so wrong? For example many
people look for promotions without acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge
they need to be promoted. Many business people are struggling because they just
won’t take the time to learn about accounting, marketing and all that goes with
doing business. That’s like trying to drive a car without first putting in the
fuel.
Invest
in yourself – the three percent rule
“Here
is a rule that will guarantee your success – and possibly make you rich: Invest
3 percent of your income back into yourself.” That’s great advice from Brian
Tracy. Investing in yourself can double or triple your income. It will work for
you whether you are employed or in business.
James
Attucher of the Financial Times agrees with this advice when he says “The only
real way I know to triple your money is to invest in yourself.” He goes on to
say that you should invest in your own ideas and your own business. But apart
from that you should also invest in your mind.
Invest
in yourself – ways to invest in you
There
are many ways to invest in yourself. One way is to make it a habit to buy books
regularly. Not just any books, of-course, but books that will challenge you and
from which you can learn something. Biographies of other successful people,
“how-to” books, self-improvement books and professional books such as
accounting or public speaking books are examples.
Investing
your time and money in learning things such as goal-setting, how to manage your
time, how to be more confident and less doubtful, how to be a better speaker,
how to adjust your thinking, create new habits and squash bad ones, how to take
care of your health, how to focus and so can greatly improve your results in
life.
These
days books are not the only way to get knowledge, though. We have video, the
internet, seminars and workshops on various subjects and even mentoring and
coaching programmes. Even watching the right movies can sometimes teach you a
thing or two. My favorite business programme, for example, is The Apprentice.
It teaches a lot about entrepreneurship in an entertaining manner. Who would
have thought that reality T.V could be so educational?
Invest
in yourself – the value of self-education
The
point is that you determine how and what you learn as well as how fast you
learn. Self-education is important beyond the classroom. In the real world
self-education matters a whole lot more than formal education. There are plenty
of people with a formal education that are still struggling. Isaac Asimovfully
supported this in saying that “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only
kind of education there is.” A formal education is good, but only as a
foundation. The sad part is that many are stuck at the foundation level. They
don’t realise that in order to complete the building they need to invest in
some self-education.
Therefore,
do not be like them, who were referred to by James Allen as being “anxious to
improve their own lives, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They
therefore remain bound.” Dreamers realise that there is no better way to
improve your life than to improve your mind. The biggest room in the world is
the room for improvement.
Knowledge,
then, is a powerful asset, and one which you should always be seeking to
improve and build upon in the pursuit of your dreams. The Proverbs declare that
“through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant
riches.”
Invest
in yourself – conclusion
Become
addicted to continuous improvement and increase in your knowledge consistently
and constantly. With time, you will inevitably become the person that you
desire to be. Then you will no longer have to chase after success. Success will
follow you. Your mind will become magnetized to attract success.
You
are all you can be. Go on and be it.
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