Self Care as Habit of Millionaires

By Bayo Ogunmupe Investment is about increasing the value of your assets. It is about maximizing what you have. Take investing in property as an example. You could buy a house and wait ten years until its market value becomes much higher than the purchase price, and perhaps you could invest a little money in improving it, repainting, redecorating maybe adding a swimming pool. By doing those things, you accelerate a hike in the market value of the house. That is what flipping property is all about. For human beings the same goes as self care, investing in oneself or self improvement. If you get a job and stay there for 20 years, you will be earning more when you leave than when you started. This is simply due to cost of living increases. They may never promote you, or take on any new functions. But by the time you leave, you will be making more money. However, if you invest in yourself, learning, acquiring new skills and constantly seeking new challenges, chances are you will be noticed, which can translate into promotions, salary raises and maybe even moving to newer, greener pastures. This simply boils than to: what you put in is what you will get out. Your positioning determines where you will end up. There is a saying in real estate- location, location, location. All that counts is location, since you are the designer, architect and builder of your lifestyle, how you position yourself will determine where you end up. If you sit in a corner, quietly waiting for life to happen to you, chances are you will live your life unnoticed, regardless of your skills, talents and value. But if you make yourself visible, and that you not only accept credit for your achievements, but demand it, you will find that you will be noticed and be far more likely to climb the ladder to the peak of your dreams. Think of positioning yourself as a great salesman. You've worked hard to acquire skills and knowledge of marketing. You'd make sure you looked the part, had slick sales materials and your pitch was polished to a fine sheen. You'd prepare yourself and your product, to be irresistible to your clients. That's exactly how you need to handle your life. Positioning yourself in such a way that your clients - the world-just can't say no. Give them an offer they can't refuse. Look, speak and act, like you know what your worth is, and no one will doubt for a second that it's true. What comes after your name determines it's worth. Have you ever looked at the business card of a professional? Chances are there are a series of letters in front of the name, indicating their success in studies. From MD to PhD, MBA, SAN and more; those little letters mean a lot regarding how the world perceives you. Consider seeing one of those cards, even when you have not seen the person, you already have a picture of what he must be like. Learned, successful, happy and wealthy. Although studies cannot give us everything, taking the time and effort to invest in ourselves to broaden our knowledge shows the world that we value ourselves. And that in turn, increases the value the world places on us. A famous psychologist once said, "You teach people how to treat you." Which is why such letters behind your name mean the difference in how people perceive and treat you. Yet another way; you may read something about Richard Branson. Branson never finished school, but the words "billionaire entrepreneur" or "founder of the Virgin Empire" nearly always succeed his name. Those words were out there, not by a university or a piece of paper, but by his efforts. Your Network reflects your net worth. Remember when your mom told you to stay away from someone from being a"bad influence?" That doesn't stop when you grow up. You are a reflection of those you hang out with. however, the more people you know, the more opportunities you will be exposed to. Thus, you need to look after your network by keeping in touch with the key people that are adding value to your life. True success, whether financial or otherwise, is dependent on the right connections, building your network makes a lot of sense. People in your network must be people you value. The power network is about giving and taking with the understanding that the more you give the more you receive. But you need varying networks: the spiritual network, the fun network that you enjoy hanging out with. Your worth isn't only measured in naira. That's why your network must be balanced for success to follow. The growth of your network determines the growth of your net worth. Nevertheless, there's huge value in acquiring diplomas and certificates, not only for their "bragging rights" but also creating value in who you are and what you have to offer the world. To excel in the 21st century, you have to invest in Being Future Smart. To succeed you have to learn to become intuitive. What the market wants today isn't necessarily what it will want tomorrow or the next day. If you aren't perceptive on time, you may find yourself obsolete. But indeed, all the world's most successful people have been pioneers. They have developed new unheard of ways to deliver their products, services or message to the world. Without that pioneering spirit, we'd all still be sitting in a cave, waiting for lightning to strike so we could have a hot meal. Being attentive to what the world is going to want, in as much as what it wants now will be the hallmark of the modern entrepreneur. So, don't be caught by surprise, become future-smart.