Before I got my first real paycheck, my dad had already set up an appointment for me with a financial advisor. The idea was to encourage me to develop a habit of saving and investing so that I could one day retire “comfortably”. So it began, a small retirement annuity fund that got 10% of my paycheck every month. I was on to something here,  I thought. As time went on I found myself in the privileged and fortunate position of having excess money at the end of each month, so I invested what I had. By my mid 30’s I had a unit trust fund, a small share portfolio, a couple of bonds, two retirement annuities and an emergency cash fund for those unexpected expenses. Long-term growth was the buzzword. Save hard and make your money work for you. We have all been told about the magic of compound interest and how wonderful it is provided you leave your money in a little longer. Some investments did well, others not so well. They have each helped me along the way, but the best investment that I ever made was investing in myself.

What does it mean to invest in yourself? For me, it meant spending time and money learning. I read books, attended seminars, took online courses and distance studies. I found successful business people to spend time with and I picked their brains. I dabbled in network marketing (which is a wonderful learning tool. I just never found success with the product that I was involved with) I engaged with a life coach and most importantly I backed myself.

Then 2017 happened. A proper case of Burn-Out, a Nervous Breakdown, Major Depressive episode, call it what you want, it snuck up and took the wind out of my sales. None of my financial investments would be sufficient to carry me through. I guess I could have liquidated all my assets and limped along looking for a job. However, there was one investment which was still paying out huge dividends, the investment that kept on showing returns regardless of the markets and anything else that was happening in the world. My investment in growing myself into the person I am today has kept me going, even through the darkest hours. Now that my eyes can see the light again and I am inspired to change the world and make a difference, I have realized the importance of that investment.

If there was one thing that I would like you, the reader to take away it would be this. Have a sound financial plan for yourself and engage with a professional financial advisor (I can recommend 3 brilliant ones if you need) but most importantly invest in yourself. Don’t spend another day thinking about it, as Nike says: “Just Do It!”. Spend money on yourself to grow, Hire a Coach and find out what drives you, then keep investing and growing and learning and before you know it you too will be reaping the rewards of the best investment you ever made. All that is required is for you to decide and then get moving. If you need help getting started, leave a comment and I will contact you and talk you through the process.