I’ve watched many Warren Buffett interviews over the years, and while he has plenty of stock market savvy to share, there’s one central theme that runs throughout this King of Investing’s advice:
Invest in yourself.
“By far the best investment you can make is in yourself,” Buffett declares.
It’s a piece of advice I’ve taken seriously for decades and can attest firsthand how personal development pays huge dividends.
More specifically, he urges:
Take care of your body and mind.
To illustrate his point, he draws an analogy between this idea and a car.
If someone gave you a car and told you that the car would have to last you the rest of your life, how would you treat it?
You’d probably take exquisite care of it. Keep it in the garage. Take it in for maintenance checks. Get the oil changed regularly. Handle small repairs before they turn into big issues. Keep it sparkling clean.
The same approach can and should be applied to you, your well-being; your body and mind.
You only get one body and one mind in this lifetime. Start prioritizing it now.
I believe it’s never too late to start taking care of yourself, regardless of your age. I talk to people regularly who are in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s (including my dad!) who are prioritizing their own well-being and are enjoying the benefits, one of which being adding quality years onto their life.
Despite the fact that Buffet is one of the wealthiest people in the world, his personal measure of success isn’t linked to his financial statements. It’s directly tied to this question: Do the people closest to you love you?
“Being given unconditional love is the greatest benefit you can ever get,” purports Buffett.
And you open yourself up to others loving you, by loving yourself first.
So to help get some momentum in that direction, here are a few reflection questions for you, inspired by the Oracle of Omaha:
- In what ways are you investing in yourself?
- What are the barriers that are getting in the way of investing in yourself even more?
- Do you love yourself?
- What does success mean to you?
At Live Authentically, we’re all about helping leaders like you invest in yourself. I’d love to explore how you prioritize personal and professional development, so you can experience abundance in all aspects of your life. Click here to grab a time.