Invest in Yourself

“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”  -- Vince Lombardi   One of the most insightful and thought provoking questions you can ask in an interview of a prospective employee goes like this, “In the last three years, describe a significant business investment you have made in yourself, which your company didn’t pay for or require you to attend, that made you better.”  The silence is often deafening.  Salespeople will often spend more time planning their two week vacation than they will their careers or making themselves better.  The word “professional” seems to resonate more clearly with athletes than it does with salespeople.  The term professional means that you are paid to do something, and as in sports, the superstars in every business get paid more … it’s that simple!   Do you have a yearning, a sense that you could get better, but seem to be lagging behind?  Do you have trouble making a commitment to invest in yourself?  Should you invest more in your learning and growth?  The more you work toward something, the more committed you become.  The more committed you are, the more you will work toward it.  It is an upward spiral toward certain success.  Invest time and effort in yourself and in your dreams.  Start out small and work consistently.  Before you know it, you will have something to show for your effort, and you will have something even more important – the determination to keep going.    The things you build and create are the things you will value, appreciate, protect and use to their fullest extent.  The things you build and create cannot be taken away from you.  No one will be able to steal from you the goals and dreams you really work toward.  No amount of discouragement, challenges or setbacks can stop you when you have invested enough of yourself.  Invest in yourself, expect more, get up and get to work.  Build, produce, create, and take action.  Do it again and again.  Before long, you won’t be able to stop.     Ken EdmundsonEdmundson Northstar Companies