“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”
I couldn’t agree more with Eleanor Roosevelt!
How we shape ourselves is our own decision, and it will dramatically impact our lives.
I have always been a curious person who likes to learn. I’ve always invested in my own learning.
From the Entrepreneurship Program at MIT Sloane School of Management to the MasterMind Talks Conference of Jayson Gaignard, from Jeff Walker’s LaunchClub to EO Conferences and Events, I thrive on learning, especially if I can learn from the best.
My decision to invest in a conference, an executive program or any type of education, is mainly based on these four elements:
Who is offering the program?
Is it someone or an organization I’m familiar with, or I’ve heard of?
Could this be an opportunity to meet with a thought leader I’ve followed for a while and want to interact with?
I have taken the same approach when it came to joining a Mastermind.
I have now been involved in three Masterminds, additional to the one I’m running, and have decided to join them for one reason: I wanted to learn from the person organizing it. I didn’t know who was coming and I didn’t have any agenda and … it has always proved me right.
Whether it was a temporary Mastermind or one that was going on throughout the year, my trust in the thought leader was always well placed, and the progress I’m making is significant.
Who is speaking, attending or recommending?
At MPI World Education Conference in Orlando in 2012, I was honored to meet and listen to Simon Sinek. Although he was already on a rocket trajectory, Simon wasn’t as well-known as he is today and it was already a huge incentive to go to the conference. Additionally, I knew that I was going to interact with my peers and, as usual, I was going to come back with great learnings to apply.
So, most of the time, I look at the line-up of speakers and/or attendees … and sometimes even go without knowing it! Last September, I got to attend MMT 2018 in Park City, Utah.
I didn’t know who was speaking, I didn’t know who was attending … and I had never been so excited to go to a conference because of the experience created by Jayson Gaignard but also because of the Community he had built online, his amazing podcast “Community Made” and the recommendation from John Ruhlin.
Will I be able to learn and to apply something afterward?
Did you ever go to a conference, come back pumped and excited with millions of ideas and … just went back to your usual routine? I certainly did too many times.
So now, I’m thinking ahead, asking myself if the odds are good that I will learn something that makes a difference for me, personally or business-wise. I block time just after the conference to review my notes and to decide which actions I’m going to take. This gives me an entirely different perspective on my time spent and my investment.
Is it worth the investment?
Last but certainly not least, I look at the investment. How much does it cost? Not only to attend but also to fly, to stay at the venue, to eat, and to get to the conference. And then I ask myself this question: is it personal growth or is it business growth?
If it’s personal, then my length of time for ROI is very elastic, but if it’s business growth, I need to see the return in the next 12 months.
So for instance, if I invest $10 a day (that’s $3,650 in a year), will I recuperate my investment in the following year? Chances are yes for $10 a day but how much are you willing to invest in your own growth?
There are different ways to shape oneself. Continuing education is essential … and it is probably the last one we focus on.
What are you going to do for your personal and business growth in the next 12 months?
