Dabbl

              Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with different ways of investing in myself. There are a few ways to do this. One way is with time and the other way is with money. And the other other way is with time and money. I’m going to discuss the power of betting on yourself and why it’s important to do so.

              We all like the idea of learning new things. But do we always take advantage of this mindset? We all know that motivation isn’t consistent. It comes and goes randomly. An important thing to do when you notice yourself getting too comfortable with your current situation is to gamble on yourself. Here’s what I mean.

              I don’t mean to get yourself into a competition with anyone. I mean learn a new skill or start a new hobby. Anyone can say that they are going to invest a certain amount of time each day or week to this new hobby. But how long will that last? How long will that last when the motivation you initially had fades a week or two in? This is where the “gamble” comes into play. I’ve found that when I started a new hobby, I was much more motivated to consistently practice this hobby when I had money on the line. I’m talking about paying for a class. A few examples from my past where I’ve paid for classes are dance, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and entrepreneur classes. Each one of these examples I’ve tried the “try on my own” method. And it’s sad to say that this method only works temporarily. It only works in the beginning when we are motivated. Once this motivation fades in the wind we are stuck making excuses in our head on why we shouldn’t practice. We try and rationalize our way out of it. This is why paying for a class is important. No matter what you are looking to train yourself in, having money on the line will keep you coming back for sure.

              If you’re anything like me, then you’re as frugal as it gets. I don’t like paying for anything so it took some time talking myself into buying a course or paying for lessons. For some things, like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there really is no substitute for paid classes. You can try on your own off YouTube, but you won’t see any improvements because you need to spar with others in order to get better. For dance, I guess you could learn off YouTube just you and your partner. But if you want to become fluent and be able to lead or follow with other people, you really need to take classes. And for entrepreneurship, many try this on their own and become successful, but for me I came to a road block and wanted to bounce my ideas off someone smarter than me and who’s already been down the path I want to go down.

              Having money on the line is important. It keeps you interested. It forces you to keep going. I remember during my BJJ classes, there were many times where the only reason I was going was so I didn’t waste the money I already spent on the classes. This is a beautiful thing. This forced me to go even when I didn’t want to. I would never have gone if I knew I had something to lose.

              Get professional help. If you are looking for something new to add to your life, pay someone to teach you. You’ll get to where you want to be a lot sooner than on your own. And with the investment you put on yourself, it will force you to stay motivated and keep showing up even when you don’t want to. But in the end, you’ll be glad you did. Find something you are interested in learning and find an instructor. Invest in yourself.