Instead, many successful tycoons say that your investment must come in the form of your character. How you act, both your public persona and your private one, will determine how prosperous your future is. This means that when you dedicate yourself to working hard, learning how to self-discipline your choices and time, and believing in yourself, you go farther.
While it can sound like something you might find in the self-help section of a bookstore, research has backed these 8 proven investment secrets for centuries, and if you want to begin creating your successful future, you should start planting these seeds today.
8 Investments You Can’t Afford to Ignore
From your idea of how your time should be managed to how high up you consider your family to be on your priority list, these investments will have you taking a deep look into exactly what you consider success to be, and reanalyzing how you are planning for your future.
1. We all have a limited amount of time – how you spend yours today will determine how you get to spend it tomorrow. This is very hard in today’s world of distractions. It’s very easy to turn on the TV at night and get engrossed in episode after episode of your favorite TV show on Netflix.
But those who want to have successful futures will take that time and invest it in something that will become prolific for them, planting seeds in the fertile time that they have free so that it produces something much more beneficial later.
2. Successful people invest time in creating goals. Maybe you have a goal: To be successful in the future. Wealthy, successful people have taken goal-making, though, and made it an art. They advise you to set three moving targets as your goals – goals for today, the near future (less than six months) and the distant future (five years).
These goals can’t just be in your head, though. Goals in your head are tentative. You must own them by writing them down and setting a date for them, then creating an action plan on how to reach those goals. They become moving targets. Once you meet them, you then set another goal to take its place, and repeat.
3. The investment in your family will last you a lifetime. Life is full of uncertainties. Your portfolio may go bust, your BMW may crash, and your mansion may burn down, but your family will always be there. And if you invest in building the bonds of unconditional love with your children, your spouse, and your other close family, they will be there for you through all of your tough times.
While it is important to work hard to be successful, it is equally important to consider how you are investing your time into your relationship with your family. Take the time to think about how your spouse feels when you are not around and how you can continue to nurture that relationship.
Take an active role in parenting your children by going to their practices and games and investing in childcare centers that will give them a solid foundation to help them be successful. You may feel invincible today, but don’t forget – your children will choose your nursing home, so treat them well.
4. Work hard, then play hard. You have probably heard the saying, “All work makes Jack a dull boy.” Working hard non-stop for decades so that you can retire and live well is going to make you forget how to live well when you retire, and by then you may have lost a lot of living along the way.
Work hard first. Build your portfolio, set your financial stability foundations, and then shape them, but don’t forget to take time out for yourself and your family. Take vacations when you can and jump in the pool with your children in the middle of the night. Be silly, be fun, play hard, then repeat the process. When you work hard, work the hardest, but don’t work so hard you forget to enjoy life.
5. Know your strengths and invest your time in building them. Not everyone can be a world-famous architect or major league baseball player. Find your strengths early in life, then nourish those strengths and focus on a field in which you can use them.
If you want to be a fashion designer but have no sense of fashion, or a football player with no talent for the game, there is something to be said for perseverance and passion, but the wealthy, successful people advise you to reconsider your desires when you take a good luck at where your strengths lie.
6. Give generously. There’s a misconception out there that rich people guard their riches miserly. Actually, the stereotype of the rich philanthropist is often more accurate.
Successful people invest in giving generously of their time when possible, their money if applicable, and their services because they know that, whether your belief is in karma, religion, or simply quid pro quo, it will serve them well in the long run.
7. Have a purpose. Similar to goals, living without a purpose will put you on the couch every night. Know your “why” – why do you do what you do? Focus on that purpose, invest time in analyzing it, and it will guide you to the rest of your investments.
8. Invest in risks to get rewards. Many successful people say that life’s rewards come when you step out of your comfort zone. Not when you indulge in risky behaviors like drugs and alcohol, but when you push your limits.
Make These Investments Part of Your Daily Life
Contrary to popular belief, setting up your successful future does not mean focusing solely on finances. Instead, invest the seeds of your time, energy, and emotions into these 8 foolproof areas today, and watch them grow richly and profitably as you head into your future.