The most important investment you'll make this year.
March 26, 2007
Slowly, the man approached the well, water bucket in hand. He tied the bucket to the rope suspended above the mouth of the well and began turning the hand crank. The bucket began its long descent into the deep well.
Anticipating the sound of the bucket striking water, the man listened carefully as he continued to turn the crank — but there was no sound at all. After some minutes there was indeed a sound, but not the sound of water. No, the only sound that rose was the clank of the bucket striking the hard, rocky surface of the bottom of an empty well.
Water is the source of life. Without water there is no life. Because of its importance, water is a fitting symbol of the sum total of your knowledge and experience. The more water you have in the well of your mind, the more life you have to put into any of your endeavors — be they business related or otherwise.
The most important investment you'll make this year is not an investment into the stock market, or an investment into a business or product line. No, the most important investment you'll make this year is the investment you put into yourself.
What do I mean when I talk about investing in yourself? I mean taking the time to learn new things.
For example, I'm writing a novel for my wife as her anniversary gift. It's something she's wanted me to do for a long time, and I'm finally buckling down and making it happen. I did really great for the first forty pages, and then progress on the story started to slow down, almost stopping.
The cure? I started reading a really great novel. It had a great plot, interesting characters and great description. I immediately started seeing things that I could apply to my own writing, and it energized me to get to it. That was just a few weeks ago, and I'm up to page 110 in the novel now — and growing fast.
That novel I was reading was an investment in myself and in the creative energies I needed to make things happen in my own story. The same principle applies to business endeavors.
If you're wanting to write more articles, read about other people's success in doing so — or read high-quality articles written by other people. Doing so will give you some much-needed motivation.
If you're wanting to create a new product, talk to people who have created successful products. Ask other business owners questions at the forums you frequent. You'll be surprised how willing people are to offer their own experiences.
How often are you in the car? You probably drive almost daily to work, or to the store, or to appointments. If so, how are you spending that time in the car? Why not get some informational audio books related to your niche, or about marketing and business? Listen to a little bit each time you're in the car. But don't just play it for background noise. When you hear some good advice, advice that you could use, pause the recording and repeat it to yourself three or four times. Think about how it can help you and how you can use it.
All of those things will add "water" to your "well". And it's from that well of knowledge you will draw new ideas, new products and fresh perspectives on your current efforts. You'll be amazed at how many ideas will be sparked by broadening your horizons through learning.
Programmers have an axiom that we call GIGO: garbage in, garbage out. It means that it doesn't matter how good the software is if the data being put into the software is bad — if garbage goes in, garbage will come out. The same applies to people.
So be sure that you're taking in high-quality advice and information, investing in yourself through learning and experience. Doing so will benefit you, in everything that you do, for the rest of your life.
Comments
25 Responses to “The most important investment you'll make this year.”
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Jonathan Leger has been earning his living online full-time since the fall of 2004. He regularly posts advice about search engine optimization (his current passion), AdSense and Internet Marketing. 
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Hi Jon,
The point you made in this post is the reason that infomarketers like you and me can make such a difference in people's lives. When you create a product that teaches someone how to do something they want to do, you're putting something good out into the world.
Congratulations on making so much progress on your novel. If you'd like to "get some water from the well" of a novelist whose first novel was published by Bantam Dell, check out the e-book I wrote to help people write a novel in an almost "paint by numbers sort of way." It's at {snipped–thanks, but please keep self-promotional urls out of comments}
Thank you for all you do to fill up my well of internet marketing knowledge.
I agree with this entire article. There are many times when I buy something for a completely different reason than writing something on my website but happen to pick up an idea out of it to put in there.
It's also great investing in yourself because as you become a better person, you allow your personality to shine through which in itself makes for better writing.
Jon,
You are a fortunate man to have a wife who would want such an anniversary gift…a gift of your creativity for her.
Congratulations.
Regards,
Jim
In some country water is comparable to fortune or wealth of money. Knowledge is not a wealth until you have applied it through action.
Regards,
Ray
Ray:
Yes, but without that knowledge, there would be nothing, would there? So it still applies IMO.
Jon
Jon-
Was that reading done in one take?:) Good lungs!
Congratulations once again for delivering Quality of Value in your teachings.
The book you're writing for your wife, congrats on that and, It's a Masterpiece…
I was watching a show with Chris Meyers last night and he was interviewing John Wooden, former coach of the UCLA Bruins…
Chris asked John about his latest reflections on what makes a difference. Coach Wooden said, "Make everyday your Masterpiece…"
Thanks for reading, sharing your thoughts today, and it's a "Masterpiece, (Bravo!)" one of many you continue to Give in Abundance…[It Inspires me to give back for sure:-)]
Good Work Jon!
To Many, Many More Masterpieces!
Anh Drew Johnson
Yep, I invest in myself almost daily. I have to drive 30 minutes each way to work. A couple of times a week I load new marketing and internet related podcasts into my iPod and listen to them on the drive time.
Much more fun than listening to music or all the latest news of the city…..
Anh:
Yes, I did that in one take. =) And thanks for the great comments.
Jon
Hi Jonathan, i like your program releases better :-), with every release my life becomes easier. This was a very interesting thing you shared with us about a soisdisant "writers block" of some sort.
How you got around it was even more phenomenal.
Good Luck to all of us.
A.v.B.
Hi Jonathan,
Thank you for being a genuine person who actually gives quality information in your newsletters.
I agree with what you said about adding water to the well. Sometimes the well runs dry when writing articles. Reading something inspiring and motivating primes the pump and gets the water flowing again. It works every time!
Thanks again for the great content.
Personal Life Coach
If it weren't for the input of the people I look up to in my life, my well would be empty. But I am consistently helped by the people who are doing the pumping every day, and I get a little here, a little there, and with each person's input in my own life, my pumping is a little more productive each time, and I hope that I am providing that kind of priming of other people's pumps in my writing as well.
Thanks, Jon, for putting out a great product and standing behind it.
Have an amazing day!
Micheal Savoie
Great article Jonathan, Because of your instant article wizard my wife is now writing articles for the first time in her life your software made it easy her to begging writing an gain her confidence. A great investment for us. Congratulations on the progress of your novel.
Keep up the great work!
Great article! I'm totally in sync with GIGO as it applies to the mind. That was also a great theme of Zig Ziglar - who I used to listen to in the car everyday on the way to work. I also use the analogy in sports: think of the naturally gifted players in your favourite sport who are not as successful as less talented players - the difference is in the mindset.
Great article Jon. Very wise comments on investing in yourself. I often listen to audios in the car and they help me a lot. No-one is perfect yet so everyone can improve. Thanks for sharing this. Stuart Stirling
This is so true, Jonathan. The more rubbish you take in, the less that you will improve within yourself and all that will happen is that you start to stagnate and the more you blame anything and everything for not getting the results that you are after.
The right Personal Development will help anyone that sticks to it and follows the suggestions that are provided. There is abundant P/D available on the Internet either at no cost or at a price that will suit your needs.
Wishing you an abundantly good life ahead
Laurie
Thanks for the inspiration Jon. And I agree with David. Instant Article Wizard is a wonderful tool that was well worth what I paid for it. I certainly can't say that about a lot of the other IM tools I've purchased.
Thank you for reminding us all to invest in ourselves. We should also keep in mind that water flows. Without that natural flow, water will become stagnant. Likewise, investing in ourselves by learning and growing should be a continual process.
Excellent post and congratulations on the novel!
Jon - very nice story, well done. For my own part, I've been seeking out people from all walks of life, to interview them so that I and my readers/listeners might learn more in quite a variety of areas. I invite everyone to participate in the blog and podcast interview collection I've built up, and join in the conversation (or start one for that matter).
Keep up the good work, and here's to keeping the well primed and ready.
FYI - you may want to pick up "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield, if you are looking for ways to combat resistance in your novel. Quick read, good to reference from time to time when writer's block hits.
Cheers,
Dan
Jonathan, first of all, congrats on such good progress with the novel. I've written seven books (most recently, Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers) and that feeling of accomplishment never gets old.
On the core message of continuous self-improvement (could we call it Kaizen for human beings?) I totally agree. I read hundreds of pages for business every week, but every night before I go to bed, I do some pleasure reading, just a few minutes. I think this makes a huge difference in my psyche. And then when I go on vacation, I read voraciously for pleasure. It's not unusual for me to read a book every two days or so, usually in the early mornings before everyone else is awake. Some of these will be novels, and some business books that don't relate directly to my work, but that I've wanted to read.
I like to thin that I have personally contributed something to the discourse of ideas–through my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, which shows businesses exactly why and how an ethical, cooperative approach to business can be *more* successful than the "traditional" approaches of cutting your competitor's throat and/or outright cheating, Interestingly, I've noticed that among Internet marketing gurus, cooperation with competitors is a given. I think this is a big reason why so many of these folks have been so super-successful–because they build each other up and "make the pie higher." Building these kinds of relationships is something I talk about a lot in the book, and when I speak to mainstream business audiences, it always surprises them–sometimes even shocks them. But I figure if it works not only for the Internet superstars but for the Fortune 500, there must be something to it.
But for me, it's not enough just to write about the theory, so the book launched me into starting a movement to get 25,000 business leaders to sing an ethics pledge–my goal is to create a Malcolm Gladwell-style "tipping point" to make future Enron-type scandals impossible.
Best of luck finishing and publishing your novel–what a wonderful gift! I'm married to a novelist and I'm in awe of people who can wrap themselves around constructing believable characters and plots.
Warmly,
Shel Horowitz
Great info Jon and very helpful I might add.I have had three seizures about 2 months to 4 months prior to that.Now my wife and I are on a sort of a revival of a set determination to both eat better and exersise.I am 54 and my wife is 52.I recently did some research on quantum physics which is really just a different way to make sure you have all positive thoughts and never even let any negative thoughts even start to get into your mind.So this is what I am doing and it seems to be working for me anyway. I will be allowed to drive a car on april the 19th and things are looking up for me.I am going to try and increase my postings and my profit on ebay this summer.Well lunch is over now.Everyone have a great summer and please stop in and check to see what I have posted in my ebay store.My user name is buckeyerexman.
Thanks and again Jon
Steve
Jon,
You made some excellent points. Too many people think that all you have to do is go online and you can make money. Or do anything else for that matter.
Not so. Anything worth having requires a little sweat, and if you aren't willing to work hard, then you won't succeed.
I really enjoy reading your stuff. Maybe that's the reason I'm not just a reader but a customer too.
Thanks for reminding me of what needs to be done. Sometimes I think we all lose sight of our goals.
Jinger Jarrett
Good-day Jonathan,
It has been said that,give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, and teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
However, in this day and age, Jonathan has efforted to exceed that horizon into a new orbit/realm, whereby he is now teaching a man how to breed fish.
Well done Jonathan.
Your $7 book is taking us places.
Your article speaks to the one consist thing in my life, a life long focus on trying to take something useful from every experience and working on my main problem,me! over the last few month I have basicly flooding my mind with as much self improvement, positive thinking, self confidence, and mind set changing books, ebooks, magazines, audio cds and mp3s I can humanly absorb in order to better able to see opportunities where I couldn't see them before and better to take advantage of them once I recognize them. I am making a new start in almost every way in my life and I am determined to get it right this time! Thanks for the tips and reminder that it all starts on the inside.
This was a very intriguing analogy on the subject of investing in ourselves through the learning aspect. When I started reading the article I wondered ; Where in tarnation is this going? But, after I read it through it made so much sense.
As You have brought out in Your article , Learning is what makes us what we are, it is the foundation for success in life and helps us become more,, have more and do more. You have proveb this in Your own life experience that to be successful in any field we must constantly be reading or listening in order to exude the highest quality of material that we're capable of producing.
You have relayed this message very clearly in your article and at times I've got to admit you're capable of being somewhat inspirational since aside from other things Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Believe it or not, it's emails like this that make me read Your mail, since I know I'm not going to be asked to buy something everytime I open one, and often times I can count on some good, solid Information.
Thanks Johnathan.
Great blog, and a good inspiration for anyone in need of positive energy.
Good business starts with positive belief and honest advice from a professional.
your writing always offers lots of both. I always look forward to the email.
Keep things coming, and thank you for the input.
Sincerely,
John Adams