This is the last blog post from the series International Women’s Month and we are going to talk today about topics that are an integral part of our lives: work, money and learning. I really like the combination of these at the same time: the pleasure and pain of learning, working and being paid by someone else.
Have you noticed that this is an advantage of being a human being, that we are being paid for what we learned? I have prepared here several techniques and strategies on what has helped me with each of these areas.
- Daily learning practise
Have you ever tried learning a new language, presentation skills or increasing the number of books you read? Many of you have heard about learning new skills 15 min per day (1% strategy, Robin Sharma and Michal Wawrzyniak among others). The trick lies in the compound effect and that 1% daily is more than 365% in a year which is pretty awesome, right? You can try this not only with learning but with saving and investing too.
- Regularly project pushing forward
I would say that the easy part is to schedule a goal and the harder part is to be strong and saying “no” to distractions and false emergencies. Just because it is easier for you to do, you do not have to replace it with the scheduled task. As a result and a reward of saying “no”, you will be pushing your goal ahead and moving towards your dreams and goals, i.e. towards the life you want to live. If you are really struggling with saying “no” to people’s request when your list is already full, think about any leader you follow and admire and ask yourself: “What would this person do if they were in my situation?” If you have been following me for a long time you would know that I like Marie Forleo and so if I were between such decisions I would ask: What would Marie do? And you can imagine what would be the correct answer: “Yes, Marie would probably continue working on this project and she would decline this 10th distraction or new opportunity”. And immediately you are moving forward, immediately it’s not only you in this situation but the other person as well, so you are both agreeing not to be disturbed and you are then more likely to push the project forward. Why? Because if you say “yes” to everything in life you will be stuck in one place. And if you say “no” to distractions you show the world that you have a life full of amazing people and projects already planned. And as a side effect you will be teaching others how to treat you.
- Daily money tracking and monitoring
I must admit that I really like the Money Manager app that my sister recommended to me years ago. It gives me the feeling of control over my expenses and income and it is a great source of information if I need to plan something in the future, by looking at the recurring costs I can quickly assess whether and when I can make my new expense. You can use pen and notepad or an Excel spreadsheet too if you prefer. In addition I check every morning the balance on my bank accounts. Daily money tracking and monitoring is a great way to get and stay connected with money you receive and money you spend. As Marisa Peer would say, money is energy and as you respect them, it will come to you. So befriend and love the money you have. And if you have 1000, 10 000 or more in your bank account, believe that this is just a beginning and that your money can generate more net wealth.
- Long-term investments
I am sure that you, dear reader, have a long-term financial plan till your retirement or by the time you want to work. If not, it would be good if you create one as soon as possible so that you know where you want to be in the future, how much savings, investment, pension and other commodities or items you want to have in 20,30 or more years. I can tell you that the plan will change for sure however as Benjamin Franklin said “By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” If you are single or in a relationship, plan your financial future and remember to pay yourself first (savings, investment and pension). If you have a joint account I would still recommend having a separate one for your own money; do not make a secret of it and agree that this money is for yourself.
- Are you new in the company?
If you have recently started a new job, my advice would be taking on any task you get. Be the person who builds a reputation of a hard worker, connecting with everybody from the receptionist to the CEO of the company in various ways. This way you would soak in the company culture quicker, meet many people, get feedback, test your boundaries and really see things that you would not see if you were “cherry picking” from the beginning. If you start with walls at the beginning, some doors may later never open for you. And the other advantage of this approach is that you can find out in a shorter period of time if this job is right for you.
- Boring but necessary patience
On your journey to success mistakes will happen for sure and you will get off the track on your way if you are learning, working, making money and creating wealth. So be patient, keep the goal on your radar clear and it will become real.
- Visualisation
Are you excited about your goals? If so the visualisation will help you to achieve them. Let’s imagine a positive emotional state that is located in the future but you are acting like it is happening now, you are feeling the positive as well as negative emotions, so literally you are rehearsing the future in the present moment so that it can happen. Imagine yourself not only signing a new contract, getting that sum on your bank account, paying off the credit card or passing that exam. The true victory comes from visualising the hardships you are overcoming. Now, think about one goal you have in mind, close your eyes and start your visualising journey.
These are some of the many tips that I can share with you on the topic “learning, work and money”. What are your best tips regarding learning, working and money? What can we learn from it?
You can watch my video on the YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpJK8HuvTmc&t=38s
