Editor’s note: This article was first published in June 2015. Buffett’s net worth of 72,000 million dollars and his age of 84 are 2015 figures, and calling him “probably the best investor on the planet today” also reflects that time.
Warren Buffett needs no introduction. Probably the best investor on the planet today, with a net worth of 72,000 million dollars, he is always talking to us about intelligent investing and the value of what we put our money into.
Chris Winfield, a writer for Inc.com, revisits a quote in which Buffett talked about what he considers the most profitable investment: one you can never invest enough in, an asset everyone should invest in without fear and that will always pay off.
So what is this asset that Buffett calls the most profitable investment we can make?
That asset is you.
In Buffett’s view, you will never get a better return in life than when you truly invest in yourself, in every area that matters.
Stay healthy on all three levels: mind, body and spirit
Everything starts here. You need to be running at full capacity, or you won’t be able to get the most out of your life. And it is not that hard to do:
Mind: Read a book (even if it is only one page a day), but read. Whether you are interested in business, finance or gardening, there are only a few ways to learn, and one of them is to read everything about what you want to learn.
Body: Exercise (even if it is only 7 minutes a day), eat well, drink plenty of water and rest. We already gave these tips in our article on ways to boost your brain power.
Spirit: If you are religious, pray and give thanks for what you have. If you are not, be grateful to people. Either way, be kind to others.
Never stop learning
Warren Buffett is the product of decades of learning. Charlie Munger, his right-hand man at Berkshire, says that today, at 84, Buffett is much smarter than the day they met, because he has never stopped learning.
Most people think their learning is over once they finish secondary school or university, when in fact that is when it begins, because that is when you choose to learn what you really want to learn and master in order to get better.
Surround yourself with excellence
We are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. In other words, the people you spend your time with influence the person you will become.
That is why you should take a look at the people around you and ask yourself whether they are really helping you grow or holding you back, whether they are negative or positive, and so on.
The question is what those people bring you. Anyone who thinks their inner circle does not affect or shape them is wrong, especially when it comes to people who fall into the category of toxic people.
If you want to become the best version of yourself, you will have to take action.
Do what you love doing
Most great business leaders agree on this. Warren Buffett said he had always been lucky enough not to have to work with people he did not want to work with. Richard Branson said he had never done anything he did not enjoy (don’t take that out of context).
If you only have one life to live, why spend it doing something that does not truly fulfil you?
Invest in yourself: invest in knowledge, in getting to know yourself, in recognising your weaknesses and building on your strengths. If you are disciplined, from today this asset will give you a return that, in the long run, will go beyond anything you can dream of right now.
Further reading
Featured image: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
