Chances are I don’t know you. And yet, if sat down for a ten minute chat, I bet I could figure out exactly what you value most in life.

No, I wouldn’t simply ask, “What in this world do you value most?” That would be cheating.

Besides, you’d probably just lie.

Not intentionally, of course. You’d likely believe precisely what you told me.

It’s not your fault. Your mind has spent countless hours concocting narratives. Stories about what you value and why you value it.

You’re not alone. Mine does the same thing.

So how am I going to ferret out what you truly value? Do I have a bloodhound’s ability to smell your values wafting in the air?

No. Thank god, no.

I don’t want your values in my nose.

The tactic is much simpler.

I’m just going to ask you to walk me through your day. You’ll tell me everything you do between the moments you wake up and fall back asleep.

And once I know how you spend your time, I’ll know precisely what you value.

Now here’s my second question:

Do you value yourself?

Hot damn, you answered that one pretty quick. Of course you value yourself.

But here’s the problem:

When I look at how you spend your time, it makes me think that maybe you don’t really value yourself.

Why? Because most of us don’t put in the time and effort necessary to grow beyond our current abilities.

I feel like being interactive today, so let’s ask some more questions:

How many hours in the last week did you spend pursuing your dream?

No, just thinking about writing that book doesn’t count.

No, just researching what books you need to read to master the art of knot-tying doesn’t count.

Brainstorming, talking, planning, dreaming don’t count either.

We all waste time at this stage. It’s an easy crutch because it looks an awful lot like productivity, but it’s not. It’s simply busyness.

The only thing that counts is doing.

Now, be honest, how much time have you invested in doing this week?

How many hours have you invested in you this week?

I think we both know the answer.

Not enough.

I get it. Work is grueling. Family time is demanding. You’re burnt out. Exhausted.

Used up.

I get it. I do.

But realize something: We all have exactly the same amount of time in the day.

That’s never going to change. So stop waiting for Daylights Savings Time or whatever magical event you think will occur. Start using the limited time you have more effectively.

Let’s address the common rebuttal here. “If only I had more time.”

Put that line of reasoning out of your head right now. Accept the fact that even if you had more time, it would simply fill up with more of life’smandatory tasks. That is unavoidable.

The question is not one of how much time you have, but rather, how you use the limited time available to you.

This is what differentiates the truly successful from everybody else.

Successful people use their time effectively.

Also…

They Invest in Themselves.

Highly successful people spend hours every week investing in themselves, learning, growing, and expanding on their current skill sets and knowledge.

Why do such a thing when time is already so limited?

Because successful people recognize that you are your most valuable asset.Every investment you make in yourself will pay dividends until the day you die.

There is no better investment you can make than inyourself.

So let’s get started.

Three Investments to Make in Yourself Today

Education

Rule number one: Never stop learning.

You’re out of school, sure, but that was just the warm-up. Now it’s time to buckle down and get serious.

Invest 30 minutes every day to learning.

In one year you’ll have put in 180+ hours of learning.

That’s the equivalent of 40 hours a week for an entire month.

Think about the staggering amount of progress you can make by only investing a tiny amount of effort every single day. It’s compound interest hard at work.

There are all sorts of ways to learn. Doesn’t matter if you choose to read a book, watch a video, or take a seminar. All that matters is that you aredoing.

Make education a priority and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Most people give up on learning fresh out of High School/College. Don’t be one of those people.

Invest in your continued education. It is, without a doubt, the second best investment you’ll ever make.

The most important investment you’ll ever make is…

Health

It’s easy to take this one for granted, but without your health, you literally have nothing. This becomes more and more self-evident as you get older.

Don’t wait for sickness or injury or lethargy to sidetrack you. Be proactive.

Invest 30 a minutes a day towards your health.

Exercise. It doesn’t have to be much, but it has be more than nothing.

Prioritize this. Your body is a magical tool, but only if you keep it tuned up.

It’s harder to get the rust off a blade, than it is to simply keep the rust off in the first place.

Keep your body rust-free.

Exercise is just one aspect of good general health. The others are eating and sleeping.

I won’t lie. Taking care of yourself isn’t easy. It is difficult and requires daily attention. This is why most people fail in the long run at tending to their health.

But, if you want to get the most out of your time on this crazy twirling ballerina ride around the sun, it all starts and ends with your health.

Investing in yourself is hard. Especially if you’re going it alone. Which is why I recommend finding…

Accountability

This takes many forms. A mentor or a coach would be acceptable options. If you can’t afford a professional, then a friend or family member works for now.

The important part of an accountability buddy is that they are trusted, open, and willing to call you out on your bullshit.

A friend or loved one who is unwilling to smack you with the cold, floppy Mackerel of truth is enabling you. Despite their best intentions, they are doing you a disservice.

They are helping you fail.

We don’t need any more help failing. We can handle that on our own.

We are all experts at failing.

What we need is somebody able and willing to tell us the things we don’t want to hear, when we need to hear them.

Without accountability, it is too easy to cheat. Too easy to take the easy road because we know nobody is watching.

We are great at lying to ourselves. Great at convincing ourselves we are giving 100% effort, never mind the fact that we just binge ate an entire tub of ice cream, haven’t left the couch all weekend, didn’t read a single book all week, and watched the entire third season of Friends on Saturday.

You can try harder. You can invest more in yourself.

You should invest more in yourself.

Top-12 Challenge

I challenge you.

Should you accept, I want you to get a notebook and write down 12 things you’d like to accomplish in the next year.

12 ways to invest in yourself.

They can be whatever your heart desires.

Want to learn French? *insert the French word for great here*

Want to learn how to code? Neat.

Want to read 5 books this year? Fabulous.

Want to run a marathon? Yippee, skippee.

Once you have this list, whip out the calendar and designate a month to each activity.

Then, create an action plan.

If we’re learning French, then maybe you download an app and carve out 30 minutes before and after work to learning. Maybe you join the French speaking club at Barnes and Noble on Tuesday nights.

The point of this exercise is to give you a clearly defined goal for a clearly defined amount of time.

Investing ain’t easy

Learning is daunting when its just a nebulous conglomeration of vaguely considered wants and desires.

Define exactly what you want, then define how you’re going to achieve it.

The last and hardest step is to simply follow-through.

90% of succeeding in life is just showing up.

So it is with investing in yourself.

Show up. Do the work. Educate yourself daily. Find an accountability buddy. Try hard.

And in one year I guarantee you’ll look back on a slew of new skills and abilities that will (assuming you chose your topics well) help you along the arduous path to your goals.