It's time to connect all the pieces of your business investment puzzle!
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Theodore Roosevelt
So, we’ve spent just over two weeks now reviewing your business investment on EVERY level: intellectual, emotional and financial. Today, we’ll chat about where the rubber meets the road: the point where they all converge.
It’s not at Starbucks or the grocery store.
It’s your every day business practices.
You, dear reader, are a veritable balancing act! You’re pretty much an expert juggler, yet it’s likely no one’s ever called you that. You’re an unstoppable machine when it comes to your business investment…but you know what? You can do better. We all can! And it’s not even as difficult as it might sound at first.
I’ll be honest with you: there are things I do better than others in my business. But just because I don’t do some things as well as others doesn’t mean they’re not important or I don’t get credit for trying. The key to building a better business investment is what we’ve gone over these past two weeks: identifying your intellectual, emotional and financial investments and seeing what we can do better.
Some of you have realized that you could be spending your money in different places. Others have realized that you need a colleague to bounce ideas off of, and I’ll bet one or seven of you have noticed that you’re not truly monetizing your intellectual investment to its full potential. This convergence is where we can all do better. And sometimes, we need some help.
I’m lucky that my career as an executive coach lets me work with people seeking to balance this convergence each and every day. And we ALL need help creating that balance. Here are some examples:
- Great with making money but NOT great at managing it? A virtual assistant and CPA can help keep you in line.
- Great with balancing the bank account but NOT so at client goodwill? A part-time assistant could make follow-up and thank you calls for you, as well as manage your email campaigns to stay in touch.
- Is your family vacation the same weekend as a great conference you want to attend? Split the cost with a friend or colleague and attend “virtually” for half price! R&R and education – easy.
Now, here’s your action task for today: make a list of places in your business (and personal) life you’d like to add more balance. On Tuesday, we’re going to talk about how to get the help you need so you can do the things you love doing each and every day. Make it a great weekend!
What's your intellectual investment?
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” ~Albert Einstein
Last Thursday, we took inventory on your business’ assets: intellectual, emotional and financial. I also told you to get ready to use that list this week (as I can’t leave a good thing alone!). Today’s focus is going to be on our intellectual business assets.
You went to school and/or you’ve done the time to place your self in a position of authority. You’ve earned it. Your mental fortitude and skills are what makes your world go round each and every day. And I asked you a tough question last Friday: are you lacking?
And by lacking, I don’t mean anything negative. What I mean is this: when’s the last time you sat down and took inventory on your intellectual investment in your business? And what are you doing to enhance your intellectual investment?
Take the quote from good old Albert Einstein above: intellectual development never stops.
I’m lucky enough in my day-to-day that I get to pursue my passion and help other people achieve theirs. My job is to help people unlock the potential tucked away inside their intellect. Whether you do it through a business coach, regular sessions with a colleague you can bounce ideas off of or engage in conferences throughout the year, your intellect needs to be nurtured.
It’s always a great place to be where you can bounce ideas off someone who wants to see you succeed. This is one of the reasons I love coaching people. No matter how good you are, you need a coach. Just look at professional athletes: there’s not one without a coach. Part of your coach’s job is to break down everything you did well and help you find ways to repeat those successes (and shed those things that weren’t so successful). It’s another set of eyes, ears and an extra brain to get you from where you are to where you want to be. To challenge you and remind you to never settle for the status quo.
Conferences are much the same way (and I personally attend several throughout the year). By constantly meeting new people, you’re sharing and gaining knowledge. This can only enhance your intellectual investment in your business. So this is why I asked: are you lacking? If you are, it’s an easy thing to fix. A business coach, colleague and putting yourself in positions where you can continually learn are all tools to minimize the lack and maximize your intellect.
Now, to end today – I’d love to hear your thoughts on things YOU’VE done to build your intellectual investment in your business. And I’ll remind you to not get rid of that list we made next week, because on Thursday, we’re headed into our emotional investments for a deeper look.
Share your investments – they pay dividends! We’ll see you on Thursday and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. I’ll promise to keep the good ideas flowing if you promise to keep challenging me!
Miss the first part of the series? Check out installment 1 and installment 2.
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