8. Best returns I ever got!
My life changed after this.
Sundar Pichai. Warren Buffet. Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Naruto Uzumaki.
All of them attribute much of their success to their investment in their own personal development and wellbeing.
I thought I was doing it too.
But in 2018 I realized how mistaken I was. When I made a list of courses/services that I paid for in previous years which made me better personally/professionally.
To my surprise, the last investment I could think of was my college fees! Which my father paid for. Post that I was only earning, rather than learning. I could not think of anything where I paid for a service that made me better.
Why didn’t I invest in myself?
I feel this maybe because of the culture and how I was raised. Being born in a middle-class family, we were taught how to earn money, how to save money but never how to use money.
I never was able to convince myself to pay for a service. I would look for free alternatives, even if that meant inconvenience. The motto was “Save as much money as possible”.
My Failed Attempts
Between 2012 and 2017
I tried learning guitar from youtube instead of paying for a teacher. Result: I learned only basic chords and didn’t continue.
I learned how to code using free tutorials on the internet instead of buying a paid course. Result: didn’t learn many fundamentals.
I never hired a personal trainer for workouts. Why pay if I can get all the information on the internet & can save money. Result: Failed 4 different times.
I didn’t invest in grooming/shopping. Result: average appearance & looks.
Little did I know, that in all these cases and many more, instead of saving money, I was just limiting my growth opportunities.
Best Returns (10x)
For the past 2 years, I am consciously trying to invest in myself. And with all honesty, I am very happy with the returns.
Here are a few of my recent investments in Abhinav Mittal:
Few points to note:
Not saying free things don’t add value. But to grow fast & further, I feel investing is required.
At no point in time, I had excess money. To say YES to any of these investments, I had to say NO to other things.
So tell me, what were your last 2 investments in yourself?
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