Some investments can be risky (just ask anyone who owns cryptocurrencies). But, what if I told you that there are some investments you can make that 100% guarantee a positive return?...CONTINUE READING
Alright, let’s skip the B.S., I’m not one of those clickbaity “But wait, there’s more!”types of writers, so I’ll cut to the chase.
The investments herein are about you.
They’re about ways that you can put in time, effort, and sure, sometimes money, to improve your quality of life, levels of fulfillment, happiness, and human connection.
What, then, are the best options to diversify your “personal portfolio” with?
The quality of our lives is directly influenced by the quality of our relationships. Not just intimate — but platonic and professional.
Be it friends you can count on for support and camaraderie, or connections you can call on for professional opportunities, or cultivating a bond with a potential life partner, the relationships in your life are some of the most valuable investments you’ll ever make.
This takes, of course, effort.
It takes effort to step outside of yourself and put time into learning about other people. It takes effort to focus more on giving rather than receiving.
Nobody, after all, wants to be around someone who’s just using them for their own personal gain. Relationships (of all kinds) aren’t about give and take, they’re aboutgive and give.
Why is this a guaranteed positive return?
Life is full of ups and downs. Perhaps you face a personal challenge, or an injury, or a loss. Maybe you get laid off. Maybe you just need an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.
By forging strong relationships, you’re always sure to have someone you can call, someone who you can visit, someone you can confide in.
This lessens the pains of the lows, and enhances the joys of the highs.
Of course, one’s intimate partner becomes inextricably linked to these life experiences and we walk through life as each other’s support systems.
What’s more — our own actions, mindsets, and perspectives are quite literally formed by the people we spend the most time with.
When we consciously surround ourselves with happy, steady, positive, and ambitious people, we’ll find ourselves mirroring and being inspired by those same traits.
They are there for us. We are there for them. No matter how good or bad life is in the moment, our core social group (be it family, friends, or otherwise) is the cornerstone.
I’m grouping togetherallkinds of health in this one point.
Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, the works.
All of it plays an integral role in our well-being that cannot be understated.
I mean, when you think about it, it isquite literallyour well-being in itself. The two are synonymous.
What’s also true is that each piece of this pie chart is equally weighted, but we often don’t treat them as such.
Our mental health keeps us connected and focused. Feeling goodaboutourselves when we’rebyourselves. Clear, open, vibrant, alive.
Our physical health keeps us moving. Energized. Confident. Happy with what we see in the mirror. It allows us to quite literally move better, for longer, and enjoy more of what life has to offer.
Our emotional health keeps us regulated and able to bond with those around us. It strengthens our relationships both with ourselves and with others.
Our spiritual health keeps us guided and grounded. No matter what you believe (or don’t believe) in this area, it influences our moral code and views on what is right or wrong, dictating our conduct in the world.
I’m not saying toliterally invest moneyin these areas of health (which is ironic considering I coach people for a living).
Iamsaying to investtime and effortinto them. Read more. Walk more. Move more. Eat better. Take a break. Meditate. Do yoga. Sleep in. Join a gym.
You don’t need to spend money to feel better about yourself, you just need to put in more conscious effort — do the things you know you should be doing. You’ll be shocked at how much brighter your days seem when you clear off the lens you’re looking through.
The world is moving faster than ever. Industries are evolving at record paces — hell, more than evolving…some are disappearing, some are emerging.
It hasalwaysbeen true that we need to “keep up with the times” in order to be professionally relevant and successful, but with the speed of the world and technology, new challenges (ahem, opportunities) are emerging more than they ever have before.
When was the last time you put in concerted effort to learn something new?
When was the last time you listened to an audiobook rather than music on your commute, or at the gym?
How about taking an online class? Even Ivy League schools offer free online courses that you can find in a plethora of topics.
We like to say that our biggest competition is ourselves, but the reality of the world is that we are always in competition with others. We’re competing in our careers, competing with the “dating pool” for an intimate partner, competing for a sale.
Enhancing our skills and always working to level-up provides us with greater opportunities, better job security, higher-level connections, and the ability to generate more revenue.
There is no downside to getting better.
Skills are one thing — knowledge is another.
The old saying tells us that “Knowledge is power,” but that’s bullshit.
The truth is that applied knowledge is power. Knowledge, on its own, simply leads to a fuller brain that understands more things.
What really matters is how you choose to implement that knowledge into your life — if for nothing else, to gain a greater understanding of the world around you.
Yeah, this one actually costs money — but the returns areinvaluable.
My personal belief has always been that the world is a playground to be explored. There are countless cultures, pieces of history, works of art, awe-inspiring sights (and sites), and a deeper understanding of ourselves and our history that are found all over the globe.
One of the greatest things I ever did was a cross-country road trip across the United States. Experiencing different places and meeting different types of people is part of what makes life so rich. It helps to shift our perspective, expand our horizons, judge others less, and understand ourselves more.
Travel, even if it means driving a few hours and staying a single night in a cheap airbnb, is always worth the investment.
It can be argued that nothing is more influential in your daily life than the habits you create for yourself.
The course of your day, from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, is driven by your routines. What’s the very first thing you do when you wake up?
Do you grab your phone before your eyes are even opened, open up emails or notifications, and immediately become reactive to whatever it is you happen to see?
Doing this leaves the start of your day in control of the universe, unpredictable, possibly negative, and definitely reactive rather than proactive.
Or…do you take 3–5 minutes, feel a deep sense of gratitude for the people and things in your life, set an intention for the day, and then begin it the way that you want to?
A health and fitness routine, healthy eating, taking time each day to read or meditate, even the information you absorb during your commute — arealla product of yourhabits and routines.
They feel like second nature, don’t they? You don’t think about most of these actions, you just…do them.
This is even more of a reason to implementpositive and healthyhabits and routines, so that each day, even if you’re on autopilot, you’re doing things that serve you rather than deplete you.
If you’ve read my writing, andespeciallyif you’ve worked with me as your coach, you know the emphasis that I put on developing one’s identity as a core factor in their life.
Most people, particularly high achievers, have a hard time defining who they really areoutside of their careers.
They tie their identity to their profession, or their relationship status, or title, or level of income.
While these things are part of your life, your identity is rooted in your values, your beliefs, your characteristics, traits, views of right and wrong…
It’s found in the parts of you that remain even if all of those external factors were to one day disappear.
I believe that the reason so many people are unfulfilled in their lives, regardless of their level of success, is because they don’t take the time to truly define the person they want to become, and then build a life around that decision.
When you’re clear on your identity, it serves as your beacon in the storm of life. It’s your pillar, your calmness in the chaos, your guiding light, your compass.
It influences the decisions you make, the people you spend time around, the career path you choose, the partner or spouse that you choose.
It drives every single moment of your day, whether or not you’re conscious of it.
So, then, you might as well put the time into deciding what you want it to be, so your life can be a true reflection of
you and what you want out of it, eh?
The beauty of all of these investments is that, not only do they all yield a profit, but nobody can take any of it away from you.
Life itself works in the same way that any other investment does: The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it…CONTINUE READING>>
