A few months ago, I made the biggest single investment ever in my business.

With a beating heart and sweaty palms, I sat before a bank teller and instructed her to wire a large sum of money to a super high-end business coach and mentor.

I have studied with this mentor several times over the last year and was blown away at the impact her insight had on my business and life.

Working with her isn’t cheap, but each time I’ve made the investment, I have made my money back quickly AND made big strides both personally and professionally.

So when she presented me with the option to work closely with her over the course of an entire year, I led with my gut and said yes…even though doing so would require me to invest more in myself than I’ve ever spent on, say, a car.

And while I have no doubt that I’ll earn my investment back easily within the year, I’m more excited about what this investment means in the long term.

I’ve written about trajectory before – the profound concept that the moves you make (or don’t make) today have a serious and predictive impact on your future results.

In business we talk about key indicators. These are the little measures you can act on today that have an impact on the end results.

For instance, the number of minutes a day you spend exercising is a good key indicator for the likelihood you’ll lose that last five pounds.

When it comes to success in business and at work, investing in yourself is a crucial key indicator for your future success.

I know this now. But I didn’t always.

There was a three-year period in my life when I felt lost, stuck and incredibly frustrated.

I wasn’t making the progress I wanted to make.

I felt overwhelmed by work and life.

I wasn’t happy with my income.

I felt I wasn’t reaching my potential.

I did everything I could think of to change my situation: I worked longer and harder. I read a zillion books. I surfed the Internet and tried to break down the success of entrepreneurs I admired so that I could copy their steps.

In short, I did everything but the most important thing I could do to truly change my situation.

I didn’t invest in myself.

I had lots of excuses. I don’t have the money/I’m not ready for that/I’m not sure what i want/I need to be clear before I ask fro help. The list of excuses was a mile long.

Meanwhile, the agony of being less than I truly was, continued. 

I was dropping cash on clothes, home décor and a fancy car. All stuff that I’d eventually grow tired of and throw out (or sell, in the case of the Saab).

But I was NOT investing in the single most valuable asset I have. Me.

In order to reap the rewards, we first have to sow the seeds. That’s the simple order of life. You want a great garden? Prepare the soil, enrich it with compost and water, plant the seeds and care for them.

We know this lesson deeply. And we abide by it. Except when it comes to ourselves.

Which brings me to the biggest hang up of highly ambitious women…

The belief that they have to go it alone.

So many of us are so accustomed to putting ourselves last…and then berating ourselves for not achieving the results we want to see.
That’s like planting a seed, not watering it, and expecting it to grow.

If you have an unfulfilled ambition inside you – to get that promotion, to finally launch that blog, to turn your part-time passion into a full-time business, to get on stage and tell your story – consider whether you are actually investing cold, hard cash in making that happen.

We’re used to these kinds of investments in “guy” businesses. You’d never launch a construction company and expect it to be successful without first investing in equipment.

You wouldn’t expect to make a profit on selling your house if you didn’t invest in some upgrades.

The Millionaire Moms I’ve worked with have all invested tens of thousands of dollars – sometimes that much each year – on coaching and training.

Why? Because, to borrow from Maybelline, they know they’re worth it.

You are the best investment you could ever make.

Reach out, make the investment and change your trajectory.

I, for one, would love to help you in that process. If you’ve been thinking you’d like to work together, now is the time. I work with heart-centered women who are ready to step up and become CEO of their lives, businesses and careers. I am opening up a limited number of spots for 1:1 coaching. If you’d like to invest in yourself by working with me, click here to apply for a feminine leadership discovery session and we can talk through the details.