Your Best Investment? You.

Being proficient in new things has always been beneficial, but more so now as the environment around us changes constantly.

Life is moving at a million miles a minute, so the number of things we need to educate ourselves on has grown exponentially. For example, with the rapid innovation and development of transformational digital technologies like generative artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and augmented reality (AR), to name just a few, we need to invest in ourselves in order to keep up.

We used to value degrees and which university someone went to and put higher education on a pedestal. Years ago, where you went to school decided who you would become. But that’s not the case today, and the learning shouldn’t stop once we get handed our diploma. In fact, that’s where it should begin to accelerate.

In many industries, they don’t use that measuring stick anymore. And some companies don’t care where you went to school or what your degree is. What matters is your skills and knowledge. What matters is your experiences and failures. What matters is your character and empathy. What matters is the way you treat people and your hunger to learn and contribute, collaborate. What matters is how you are evolving and embracing change and bringing value to it.

Today, technology can automate so many jobs and skills. This means you need to continuously sharpen your saw. Yes, it can take time, effort and money, but that is an investment in yourself that is priceless. You need expertise and knowledge that is uniquely yours – that hopefully can’t be replicated by machines and robots.

“Innovate or die’’ is a saying attributed to Peter Drucker, one of the most influential experts on management. He said it almost four decades ago, and then Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, added, “There’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.” This is so important, especially if you’re an entrepreneur. When it comes to business, you must be a practitioner of the things you are going to talk about and be open to learning what you don’t know.

I want to elaborate on what I mean by investing in yourself. Investing in yourself is tied to learning, because it’s about putting your best foot forward in how you show up in the world. Investing in yourself is not about money; it’s about putting time, effort, expertise, and love into yourself.

I am learning, because I want to give myself the best opportunity to be happy and succeed. I don’t want to be left behind because I don’t know things! And I don’t think you want to be left behind either. I am investing in myself, because I want to take advantage of what life has to offer, and be an active participant and driver of living my best life.

Lifelong learning is so important to me that it’s in my company’s employee handbook that each team member gets on their first day. It says, “Always be hungry for more information, to learn about the business, educate yourself, and study.” I encourage everyone to learn new things, even if it’s not a core part of their job description.

For example, when ChatGPT was getting daily media attention, I had everyone on my team spend 15 minutes researching it. Then we had a staff meeting where each person shared what they’d discovered. Having my team explore this new technology got them in early, gave them confidence, and made it less intimidating. The goal is to make them feel like they can learn anything.

Why? Because they can! And so can you.

Think about learning in terms of continuously developing building blocks for your career and life’s journey. I started my career in sports marketing and branding, then I shifted to communications and public policy. But I know that communications is not just one thing; so, I learned about corporate communications, then internal communications. Then I built on this by learning about branding for CEOs and high-profile figures, which is called personal branding. Constantly think about how you can raise the bar, and add to your experience grid by investing in learning and improving your knowledge.

Build on what’s going to bring value to you.

This piece is an edited excerpt from the book, 7 Rules of Self-Reliance, by Maha Abouelenein, which was released on October 8, 2024, and went on to become an instant #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA TODAY Bestseller.

About The  Author

Maha Abouelenein is a personal branding expert who’s the founder and CEO of global communications consulting firm Digital and Savvy, and bestselling author of 7 Rules of Self-Reliance. With over three decades of experience, she has crafted strategies for global corporations, startups, sports organizations, governments, CEOs, and high-net-worth individuals.

This article first appeared in the November issue of Inc. Arabia magazine. To read the full issue online, click here.