There are different ways to invest (it’s not all about money).
Take a look around yourself now. What do you see? Are you happy with where you are in life?
If you are, that’s great. If you’re not, then take a look inward. This might sound harsh but in reality it is true: have you done enough for yourself lately? You just have to think about it for a moment or two to take stock of your reality. If you hate your job, why are you still doing it? You might say you have no choice; you cannot leave because you have bills to pay. You can’t get another job because you aren’t qualified.
That’s fine, but you are making the decision to think like that. Other people would immediately start to look for a way out. If this meant working for themselves every night until their new business was earning enough to provide that way out, that’s what they would do.
How To Invest In Yourself & Build Your Skills
The secret to improving your situation is to invest in yourself and develop skills to use in the future. Now your first thought might be that you cannot afford to do this, but you’d be amazed what is possible if you really start to look into it.
Can you build on your skills for free? Yes you can. Suppose you’d like to take an educational or training course. It isn’t always necessary to get your credit card out to pay for a self development or training course.
In fact the best way to build your skills is to start looking online. You would be amazed at how many courses are offered free of charge in this way. It depends on what you want to learn, but in many cases you can at least try a free sample of a particular course to see whether it is the kind of thing you want to do.
It may not always be necessary to take a specialized course either. If you are happy with the industry you are in but you would like to advance up the ladder for example, then think of the skills that would enable you to do this. Employers typically need lots of different skills to build their teams and the more of them you can supply your employer, the better off you will be.
Can you build skills on a budget? Yes, this is perfectly possible as well. Don’t underestimate the amount of help you could get from your employer either! In fact, asking them for assistance could put you in a win-win situation.
Here’s the thing. Let’s say you have desires to head up the ladder and you know you need to build your skills to do so. Ask your employer if they would be willing to foot the bill for the training you need. They may say yes, they may agree to meet part of the cost, or they may say no. But in every situation, they will become aware that you want to learn more and develop yourself.
They may even agree to foot the bill if it keeps you with them for longer. As you can see, you can’t really lose in this situation. Even if you foot the bill yourself by paying for your training on a credit card for the short term, you are investing in your future career.
The point is that investing in your own skills –- and hence your own future –- may not be as expensive as you think. You also have to remember that you will be more than repaid for your efforts financially if your employer is willing to assist you with getting further up the career ladder.
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