Sarah says:

Wow Tiff what a post…makes me wonder why we are all so coy about investing in ourselves?
do you think it is a form of procrastination..putting off the moment when we have to act because if we invest in ourselves then we should be creating a return on that investment?

I have a confession to make..i bought Kindling, Geoff Shaw’s BRILLIANT membership and course, then I stopped following through because it took TIME to educate myself properly.
I say this because I have just gone back to it and am blown away again by its quality and am avidly completing the steps and it has given me back confidence.
It now forms part of my plan to focus, using your 30 day challenge on creating a true reflection of what I want to achieve..and to reach an audience I have until now been scared to approach.

My admiration for your approach is only second to my gratitude to you for the proverbial butt kicking we all so need to succeed!

Now I have to learn to kick my own butt…

Thanks again for inspiration and motivation
Sarah

Bev says:

There is one other reaason that we don’t invest in ourselves – doesn’t apply to everyone of course. That is when you struggle financially when young, and develop the habit of never spending anything unless it is absolutely essential. You just pay the bills and buy food. Even clothing is on the back burner. It is actually quite hard to break out of that mindset even when you are no longer in that position. It overlaps into life and you feel guilty buying stuff for yourself, even if it is an investment. And yes, part of that is: what if it doesn’t work for me, I’ve wasted that money. But even if that happens you have still learned something from it!

Jessica W. says:

This is so true…I always thought it was because I am a mom and just put the kids’ needs first; I’d gladly invest time, money, and energy into anything that will help them succeed, but if they are watching me not put that same effort into myself they’re probably going to think they shouldn’t invest in themselves some day. Wow, really makes me think! Thanks for a great post Tiffany!

Tamsin says:

Another thought – as a CPA I have to do at least 120 hours over 3 years PD (professional development) – if we have to invest so much time (not to mention money) to maintain our skills as a CPA, why would we not invest in ourselves in our online business to give back to the community?

Britt Malka says:

Oh wow! I loved this blog post.

Yes, if somebody gave me a valuable gift, I would appreciate it. It would probably scare me, too, because I would feel like never being able to return the favor. But that’s not the point of this story. The point is this valuable gift being ourselves. So true.

It reminded me of a true story that shocked me a lot. It must have happened around year 2000, because we had moved away from Denmark. A Danish woman, rich, gave the city of Roskilde a very expensive piece of art (I loved it, by the way).

The only strings attached was that the city had to pay for having brought the piece of art to the place where it should be, and the art piece was big. Really big.

So it did cost a lot of money to move it. Not nearly as much as the gift had cost, but a lot.

And the citizens of Roskilde were complaining and whining.

So if you show up on the door step of one of those Roskilde citizens, you might be met with a harsh looking woman, eying you up and down and asking: “Should *I* pay for insurance of such a jewel? Are you crazy? Where would I find money for that?”

If that happens, then just turn around and leave. There’s nothing wrong with your gift. Only the receiver. And there will be people like that, of course.

Rasby says:

Great post. I would like to add something important to it. As a college professor, I constantly see the effects of squandered investments. Someone, usually the taxpayer or parents, cares enough about these young people to invest huge amounts of money in student loans so they can attend college to “invest in themselves.” Yet, too many of them totally waste the initial investment simply because they don’t realize that investment in self means more than the price paid to access the tools. It means exactly what you do, day in and day out: you take the tools and do something with them. I have a sign in my office that says: A dream is always a bargain, no matter what you pay for it. That is precisely why you are so well loved by your readers. You dream the dream, pay the price (in money and effort), and share your knowledge so we can work our way through to our own dreams. You might be our Hope Diamond.

Kathy Robinson says:

Now I feel guilty because I just left a comment on the Prep Steps post about ‘having to go to the gym when I hate exercise’. I’m refusing to invest in myself because I don’t like something. We used to tell our kids ‘they didn’t have to like it, they just had to eat it’ when they didn’t want to eat their greens or whatever. I’m embarrassed by myself. I don’t take care of the gift of my life.

When I saw the books you’d purchased, I looked at the titles of some I keep in my office and made notes in my Topic Ideas spreadsheet to look at the chapter titles for inspiration and ideas. I also need to look in my library.

It’s important to invest in ourselves, I just forget to remind myself sometimes.

Bonnie Gean says:

What an inspiring and thought-provoking way to share a HUGE lesson for anyone who isn’t willing to invest in themselves and their future growth.

It’s very true that people are more likely to safeguard something as value as the Hope Diamond, but when it comes down to the most important asset one can have, they throw up their hands and make excuses.

(I’m getting red in the face as I write this because the coaching call I had with Craig Desorcy is coming to mind.)

it’s about time people start practicing what is preached. (And yes, this includes me, too!)

It’s the only way to self-salvation and setting a good example for those we wish to enlighten along the way.