YOUR MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENT – YOU
1. Build strong connections.
Take a
couple minutes a day and reach out--by phone or email, not by social media--to
a customer or colleague or just a person you want to compliment or thank. Good
karma is reason enough, but you'll be surprised by the real, not virtual,
connections you will build.
2. Do something crazy.
Challenge yourself. Humble
yourself. Get over yourself. Get a part-time job, one that is
"beneath" you. Be the only overweight person you know training for a
marathon. Take a class you'll struggle to even pass. Volunteer. Whatever you
do, make sure it's well outside your comfort zone. You'll learn and grow and
become better, stronger, and a lot more self-assured. Learning to not care what
others think about you--in a healthy way--is incredibly empowering.
3. Build a side business.
Pick something you enjoy doing
and think of ways to make money from it. The point isn't to get rich; the point
is to open up to new ideas and new challenges. The business aspect will help
spark creativity--since necessity is the mother of creativity--and help keep
you focused.
4. Create a morning ritual.
Choose things you want to
accomplish and create a morning plan that gets you there. Maybe you want to
exercise. Maybe you want to work on a presentation, work on your book, read
things you need to read but never seem to find the time or energy to get to
after work... you know what you've been wanting to do but haven't done. Start
doing it.
5. Take a few
minutes and think.
Force
inactivity. Turn off the radio when you drive to work. When you're stuck in a
line, don't look for something to do--just stand there. Sit outside without a
phone or book. Take a walk. Create situations where you're stuck with only
yourself.
6. Call
your folks.
They
always want to hear from you. And you always feel better after you do.
