Between the ages of 18 and 25 you have a certain power that will never be as powerful going forward: The Power to Screw Things Up!
Barely any mistake, failure or screw-up can permanently damage you or your life at 22-years old.
You still have the body, the mind and the time to make it all up and that is a phenomenal strength, because it allows you to explore!
Not all the investments you will make are going to be golden! Some will be piles of crap, but that’s okay!
If you spend the time you have now to grow, to become better than you were and to find out what you can about yourself and your life, you will be miles ahead of everybody else even if you do screw up along the way!
Dive right in, take a chance, do the things that scare you and take the time to give yourself your all!
#1. Invest in Books
Understand that every book you read holds information that someone else spent years collecting, organizing and making easy to understand.
Use that help!
Invest in your own improvement, your own mind and knowledge, because it will stay with you forever!
The biggest reason why so many people stagnate as soon as they get a job out of college is because that is the moment they stop growing and learning at the same rate they used to.
Go above and beyond and learn those things that others are unwilling to learn so that you create an arsenal of knowledge that supports you in creating the life you desire!
#2. Invest in a Coach/Mentor
Coaches and Mentors can see the things that you will miss.
They hold you accountable, make you see your own mistakes and help you grow in a way you could never grow alone. That is why the smartest and most successful people in the world know this and all have mentors, coaches and a circle of amazing people themselves.
Even Warren Buffet is taking financial advice from someone!
A good coach/mentor will take your mind for a loop, they will make you feel like you got slapped across the face, and by doing so will cut through all the limitations you have set yourself, giving you a clear cut path.
It’s one of the most luxurious, high-class investments you can make, especially if you start early.
#3. Invest in your Circle
Invest in the relationships that will help you succeed!
Find people that push you to be greater than you were and people that make you do uncomfortable, but great things.
Do not spend your time with “Feel-Good People” or those that do not even care for you. Invest in the relationships that push you to be your best!
You want to find people that are better than you at the things you want to get good at so that they pull you towards them, but also those that will not allow you to cheapen out on what you are capable of!
Find at least 5 of those people that have the same drive or that will not allow you to B.S. yourself!
Once you find these people push them in the ways you want to be pushed and they will push you back, creating an upwards spiral of growth!
#4. Invest in One Hobby
Go all in into something that you love and improve, grow and master that thing.
Maybe it’s playing Music, Writing, Drawing, or even becoming a Master in how to invest.
The point is that you pick one Skill that you already love and become even better at it.
This does not have to be a marketable skill! We are not going for Sales or Money here! What’s important is that YOU derive value from this hobby and love it.
We all need some ways to get our mind off of the daily stress and off of our problems, and if you have something that gives you self-worth and makes you feel phenomenal outside of what you do for a living you will have a powerful safety net when hell breaks lose!
#5. Invest in Getting to Know Yourself
Who are you? What do you like? What do you dislike? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you do well with and what do you struggle with? What makes you uncomfortable? What makes you scared? What is your mindset like? What are things you still wish to gain? Who do you wish to become?
Get to know yourself right now and become comfortable with who you are. Travel alone, meditate in peace, or take some time to answer the questions above.
When you become comfortable with who you are there will be less things that scare you. You grow a belief in yourself, which will bring you far more joy in life.
Go explore life, test some things out, do what you find uncomfortable right now and put who you are to the test. Only when you do what scares you do you clearly see who you are and only then can you truly act upon it.
Learning who you are and how to love yourself is the best, self-repaying investment you can ever make.
-Lukas Schwekendiek
Working as hard as Elon Musk?
