In one of the very first classes I ever had at university, and I’ll never forget this, the lecturer asked a simple question that would entirely change my perspective and how I engaged myself in the world. The question was this:
“Who here has a car?” he said, “Raise your hand.”
Looking around the room, people had started to raise their hands, and he followed with more questions,
“What sort of car is it? How many miles does it have on it? How much did you pay for it?”
After a few minutes of this interrogation of questions that have nothing to do with Accounting, he stopped and put forward another question,
“Now, who here can tell me what the most valuable asset they have is?”
One kid instinctively stuck up his hand and said, “My car sir!”
He’d fallen right into the trap and here’s where it gets good. The lecturer replies,
“Your most valuable asset is not your car. In fact, it’s not any possession you own. Your most valuable asset is You. The present value of your future income is the most precious thing you have, and the greatest investment you can make is one into yourself. Sitting in this room today is a step towards increasing the amount of money you earn and the quality of life you enjoy.”
While I would now disagree with the latter half, the remainder of his statement was still very true. And if your most valuable asset is you, here’s how to maximize your return:
“If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?” -Gary Keller
While most people put their work before their health, you should actually do things the other way around.
Trying to work as many hours in a day is equivalent to trying to chop down a tree with a dull saw…
