How do you define INVESTMENT?

Posted by on Jan 11, 2013 in Motivational | Comments Off on How do you define INVESTMENT?

In the closing weeks of 2012 and these initial weeks of 2013 I’ve had various flashbacks to times when my overall well-being shifted as a result of starting a fitter lifestyle.  This self reflection led me to consider one of the most important factors in making any lifestyle change.  What is my investment?

It may not seem like much to consider but anything worth doing requires a plan and any plan requires the awareness of what will need to be included/considered to be successful.  I looked up the word “investment” back then and unfortunately (as it is to this day) most of the definitions had to do with finances, property, or profit in some way.  So, I ignored those and sought my own definition, internally.  Although it has been many years the basic idea of what investment means to me hasn’t changed much, in fact it is probably more definitive now than before and is as follows:

Investment is the application of tools (self created or acquired) in an effort to yield a greater result

In any given area of my life I would consider the tools needed, how to apply them, and the ending result.  Below, I have provided a condensed version of my investment table listing some of the contributing factors in my process.

CATEGORIES

TOOLS

APPLICATION

RESULT
Nutrition FoodFluidsCapitalTime Healthier habits to fuel every aspect of my life.
Fitness Creative MindCapitalTime Improved balance between power, agility, endurance, speed and strength.
Spiritual BeliefOpen MindTime Maintain a constant awareness and appreciation of everything around me.
Financial CapitalTime Maintain the financial stability to acquire what is needed a means to give into the occasional “wants”.
Well-being All the Categories Above Be a more well balanced individual

I did not provide a full list here as my aim is simply to get you thinking about your own investments.  There are many factors that may influence either directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, how you create and/or calculate your own investment table/graph/chart/outline, whatever.  As such, I did not include how to apply any of my factors.  Knowing how I have applied any of the factors to reach my investment result may limit how you view what result YOU want or the tools used and you would essentially be following my investment process.

Now, whether you agree or disagree with the definition is up to you, but I encourage you to consider the word “investment” and define it within you and then apply it around you.  It will help you to stay focused in your journey, remind you when you get off track, show you what may be missing in your efforts to achieve the results you want!

I challenge you today to define investment for yourself and see where it takes you!

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