You are your best investment.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word investment?
I bet most people think of investment in terms of some monetary capital they have to give up in the quest for more returns. It's understandable, though, as this is a transactional world, mostly, with money exchanging hands every split-second.
In this journey of making a living, most people don't invest money into anything, though. They are always trying to stay safe by holding onto what's 'theirs'(It's never yours anyway - It was someone else's earlier) This scenario leads to the majority of persons only investing their time. How? By trading their time for a paycheck.
This is not to talk down on employment (where you invest your time to get paid some income), but rather, it's in a bid to bring to light the best investment you can make. And that's investing in yourself.
So, how do you invest in yourself? Investing in self is simply determining your own self-worth, and working towards getting to that level you deserve. The one way of knowing your worth, is living for more than just a paycheck. If you are stuck in three jobs just to make ends meet, perhaps you should sit down and reconsider. The jobs suck and drain you, and maybe they don't fulfill you. Investing in self dictates that you seek productivity instead of being busy. Learn how to maximize and leverage on your time and effort, and maybe you can make a little more money, with slightly less effort. You are your best investment.
Let's take this typical example. If your skillset is a bit low, and hence not allowing you to qualify to a top position, why don't you invest in self by learning the skills you require! You can do that part-time. Remember, you are your best investment.
And what if, overall, you want to escape the rat race???
The way to do that is to invest in yourself. Invest in self education. Because you are the only one who can pay yourself what you deserve. Your boss can't do that for you. You'll get underpaid for most part of your life when working for a boss, and one day, if you get lucky by investing in self, you'll be overpaid.
So, invest in your discipline, attitude, financial knowledge, leadership, communication skills. These can give you the competitive edge you need to live the life you dream about.
Remember, the goal for me, is not tied to lots of money, but rather living life in my own terms. And I'll require tons of money to achieve that. What's your goal?
^SerialEntrepreneur