When asked what are some cliche things coaches say, someone answered: “Invest in Yourself”. It’s true that coaches say that often. Most of the time that’s interpreted as a sense of spending money on one of their coaching packages. Which is indeed a way to invest in yourself.
The term “invest in yourself” goes deeper.
We all have resources available to us. Time, money, knowledge, connections, internet and accommodation are just a few examples. The question is; are we investing those resources in ourselves? Or are we investing them in other people?
Maintenance Investments
When someone is working a full-time job, they’re investing their time and knowledge in exchange for money. That money can then be re-invested into various different things. Housing, transportation and food are all common ways that person can re-invest in themself in order to stay alive and continue the cycle.
Those types of investments can be seen as maintenance investments. They help that person maintain the standard of living they’re accustomed to. Maintenance investments are the most common investments we see in our world today.
Enrichment Investments
Then there’s Enrichment Investments. These are the type of investments that enriches the quality of life the person already has. Some examples of enrichment investments are, education, better accommodation, healthier meals, wellness, guidance and even charity. All these categories enhance the person’s life in one way or another and could potentially bring exponential returns. Enrichment Investments is investing in better.
Investments Can Fail
With any type of investment, there’s potential for failure. Often people focus on the potential for failure when it comes to the Enrichment investments. There are no guarantees that it will actually enrich someone’s life and often they are a bit riskier than the Maintenance investments.
However, Maintenance Investments are also uncertain. Going back to the example of a full-time employee, historically the chances of that person losing their job are smaller. What a lot of people forget is that this risk is increasing with our fast-paced world. There are plenty of job categories that were booming in the 20th century that no longer exist.
The Golden Investment Principle
As with investing in the stock market, it’s best not to have all your eggs in one basket. That’s why coaches often use the term “invest in yourself”. What they’re really saying is don’t only invest in Maintenance, try your best to also invest at least a portion in enrichment.
When someone invests a portion of their resources in enrichment regularly, eventually they will start seeing a return. For example, investing in that coach will certainly transform the way that person does things in their life. That can lead to more resources, whether it’s time, money, energy, peace of mind or something completely different.
So whomever you are reading this, challenge yourself to use the resources available to you for some Enrichment Investments. Everything in this life is a transaction. The question is, are the transactions you’re making benefitting you?