Invest in Your Success

Do you want to become the best version of yourself?

When it comes to success, the most important investment you can make is in yourself. You have the power to create the life and career you desire, but it’s up to you to take charge of your future and commit to investing in yourself and your success. Like the mobile or laptop device you’re reading this on, you get to make upgrades and release new versions of an optimized you as often as you decide!

Here are three ways you can do just that. 

Invest in Your Education & Skillset 

Education is an invaluable tool for accelerating your career growth and creating new opportunities for yourself. Investing in additional education or training gives you the skills to take on new roles or advance within a company. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement, leadership development programs, and reimbursement to attend conferences and courses. So if you want to learn more about something, own your career and speak with your leader about covering some or all of the costs associated with furthering your education. 

Invest in Your Network 

It’s not what you know. It’s not who you know. It’s WHO knows you. Having strong professional relationships is key to any successful career. Investing time into building relationships with people with similar values and interests can open doors for personal growth and professional opportunities. Attend events, join industry groups, and actively reach out to others with goals or results you aspire to achieve. Be mindful of cultivating a diverse network that includes primary and secondary dimensions of diversity. The more people you know and the stronger those relationships are, the better your chances of finding great job opportunities, mentors, and sponsors who can help guide you. 

Invest in Yourself Physically & Mentally     

No matter how hardworking or dedicated one is, without proper physical health, achieving success can become difficult. Ensure you are taking care of yourself physically by getting enough sleep and seeking our proactive mental wellness practices. Prioritize managing your energy over managing your time. Energy management will help you optimize your time to be effective and efficient in the work you choose to do. Therapy and coaching are proactive resources for managing your mindset and energy to leverage your education and network investments. 

Investing in yourself is a critical success factor for thriving in your career. Whether through education, building relationships with others, or taking care of yourself physically and mentally — these investments will pay off over time! Start small by setting achievable goals today that will help propel you towards meeting larger goals later on.

As a bonus, set a monthly or pay period amount for your personal and professional development. For example, setting a 10% of annual income budget to invest in my leadership development has been one of the most significant contributors to my success. As you increase your investment in yourself, it will also raise your expectations for how others invest in you. You’ll be empowered to ask for what you want, negotiate what you deserve, and own your power to communicate your value confidently as the first (and perhaps the largest) investor in YOU!

Thank you to the brilliant professionals and bold corporations that invested in the success of black talent at our Career Thrivers Advancing Black Professionals Summit! Learn more and start networking inside our Career Thrivers Network here.