Your Best Investments -

Your Best Investments -

by Dr. Phillip E. Humbert

1. Invest in your Dreams. I continue to meet folks who are not clear about their goals or their dreams. Success does NOT work that way! Here are two investments you must make to control your future: (1) Invest 10 minutes every morning to define and affirm your goals. Write them down. Visualize them. Talk about them. 10 minutes, every morning! And, (2) Take an action step every day. Do something that moves you in the direction you want to go.

2. Invest in Time and Space. Most of us live with cluttered desks, cluttered schedules, and cluttered lives. Human beings can not do our best when we are surrounded by clutter! Peak performance requires focus, organization, concentration and freedom. Your environment is a pretty good reflection of your priorities. Clean it up. Eliminate the things that distract you. Fix or replace things that get in the way and frustrate you. Give yourself your best chance for success!

3. Invest in Connectivity. In technology, this refers to broadband, high-speed communications. It means the same thing here. Success requires high-speed, effective communication in your relationships, and with yourself. Invest in clarity. Invest in understanding. Invest in patience and caring and sharing. Invest in yourself and your loved ones, and expand your network as far as you can reach. The larger and more efficient your "connected network", the more successful you will be.

4. Invest in Skills and Education. This is on the list because it is essential, but it is last on the list because your Dreams, your Environment and your Connections are even more important. But, in the end, you have to actually know something! You have to be able to produce, to create, to solve problems, and get stuff done! That means learning new skills, every day! Whatever your profession, be the BEST! Understand and use the best tools and most appropriate skills. Invest in your toolbox!

I am convinced that if you do not invest in yourself, in your dreams and in your community, you are actually making a choice for obsolescence. Without continuous personal growth, you are reducing your future income, and even more, you are reducing your opportunities and your options.

Someone has said, "the future belongs to those who are prepared". Make sure you have the freedom and focus to seize the day! Make sure that when opportunity knocks, you have the clarity, the time and space, and the skills to answer the door! Invest in yourself, either with a personal mentor, or with books and tapes, and take time to plan. Invest for the LIFE you want tomorrow