Here’s how to maximize your returns
In one of the very first classes I ever had at university, and I’ll never forget this, the lecturer asked a simple question that would entirely change my perspective and how I engaged myself in the world. The question was this:
“Who here has a car?” he said, “Raise your hand.”
Looking around the room, people started to raise their hands and he followed with more questions,
“What sort of car is it? How many miles does it have on it? How much did you pay for it?”
After a few minutes of this interrogation of questions that have nothing to do with accounting, he stopped and put forward another question,
“Now, who here can tell me what the most valuable asset they have is?”
One kid instinctively stuck up his hand and said, “My car sir!”
He’d fallen right into the trap and here’s where it gets good. The lecturer replies,
“Your most valuable asset is not your car. In fact, it’s not any possession you own. Your most valuable asset is You. The present value of future income is the most precious thing you have, and the greatest investment you can make is one into yourself. Sitting in this room today is a step towards increasing the amount of money you earn and the quality of life you enjoy.”
Here are some of the best investments you can make into yourself to maximize the returns on your most valuable asset.
Learning ONE New Skill Could 10x Your Income
“Many people have the ability to earn two or three times the amount of income they are presently enjoying by simply adding one or two new skills to their skill set.” -Brian Tracy
The ability to learn and continually upgrade your skills and mindset is perhaps the greatest gift on this planet. It means you can increase the Amount of value you offer, and consequently the amount of money you earn.
Sadly, most people’s learning curve stops after they go to college. They get a degree, settle into a job where do the same thing day in, day out and then collect a paycheck at the end of the week with no learning in between.
This life is entirely fine of course, people can do what they like. But there is another option I wish to inform you of which involves continuous learning and could drastically change your life and the amount of income you earn.
As Jim Rohn has famously said,
“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
My story is I started writing online 8 months ago. I didn’t have a writing a degree, I didn’t have a mentor telling me what to do. I simply signed up to Medium, did a lot of reading and writing and found out what people liked.
I’ve published over seventy stories, gained over 1,300 followers and now make a growing amount of income from the Medium Partner Program when all I had intended to do was share a few of the ideas in my head about personal development.
It’s mind-boggling to me that simply learning ONE skill has had such great impacts on mine and other people’s lives. But I know that if I can do it, anyone can.
And the wonderful thing about today’s digital age is there’s more information than ever. You can learn photography, sales, cooking, writing, editing, or anything other skill you want for free.
Learning and monetizing that ONE skill could very easily be the difference between making $4,000/ month, or $40,000/ month.
“If you ask most smart or successful people where they learned their craft, they will not talk to you about their time in school. It’s always a mentor, a particularly transformative job, or a period of experimentation or trial and error.” -Ryan Holiday
Nothing Provides a Better Return Than An Investment into Your Health
“If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?” -Gary Keller
If we’re talking about You being your greatest asset, then what is the greatest thing that could depreciate the value of that asset?
A lack of health.
There’s a reason Benjamin P. Hardy has once said,
“Health is wealth. If you’re bed ridden, who cares how organized the other areas of your life are?”
This is entirely correct. The most crucial thing you can do to achieve the things you want in life is to look after your health for the simple fact that you can’t achieve anything without it.
While it may be contrary to many people’s beliefs, there’s nothing you can do that will provide you with more long-lasting rewards than getting proper sleep, eating nutritious meals, and engaging in daily exercise.
“When you make your health your #1 priority the rest becomes so much easier.” -Tim Ferriss
In Conclusion
The greatest investment you can make is one into yourself. You are your greatest asset.
10x’s your income could be as simple as learning ONE new skill. There’s world of knowledge around you, find something you enjoy and learn how to use it to provide value to others.
You only have one body and you don’t anywhere else you can go. Look after it to get to the places you want to go in life.
Your Most Valuable Asset is You was originally published in The Ascent on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
