Investing in your personal development: The secret to career success

Where you are today on your career path is the sum of all the actions you've taken so far. It isn't always obvious, but every step you take - every risk, every new connection, every skill learned - has the potential to lead to something greater or set you on a different path. Being more deliberate about investing in your career and yourself is key to taking control of your future.?

Investing in your personal development, puts you in charge of your success. In a recent Mindset Matters Live interview, I spoke to founder, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur Kim Kaupe, who shared that the most powerful lesson she has learned throughout her career is to invest in herself. In her words:

"the only person who can invest in you is you... if you're not making time to invest in yourself, if you're not making time to invest in your network, if you're not making time to invest in your knowledge, you will ultimately come out not as successful, and you will ultimately come out depleted."

Sometimes, investing in ourselves means looking at the bigger picture and making a decision that will benefit us in the long term instead of a decision that will be most immediately lucrative.?You can watch a quick highlight of the interview here ↓

Prioritise learning

As the COVID-19 pandemic helped highlight, continuous up-skilling is a crucial aspect of preparing for the unknown, navigating change and building resilience to overcome challenges. Picking up new skills makes you more attractive to current or future employers or clients, helps you take steps in whatever direction you want to go, and boosts energy, self-confidence, and overall wellbeing. Most importantly, if you're pursuing something you genuinely enjoy, it can make you feel more fulfilled.?

In some cases, this might be taking time out to complete a qualification that will allow you to take the next career step or go back to school to switch to an industry that will make you happier. Decisions like these might seem scary, but if you're doing it to invest in yourself and make it work, it's always worth doing.?

You don't have to jump in at the deep end, though. There are many ways to learn - you can take LinkedIn courses, take evening classes, or get involved in a project at work that will broaden your experience. It doesn't have to be something directly related to your job either. The simple act of doing something new is learning in itself and will promote a growth mindset, which is crucial for success. And who knows? That coding class might be what lands you your next dream role in an unexpected way.

Chart your individual career path?

It can be uncomfortable to deviate from what we think we "should" do in our careers or lives because what we're actually doing is investing in ourselves. In our interview, Kim talks about how we often feel guilty about investing in ourselves - so much so that we're sometimes the last person we consider. As she rightly points out, we're told on airplanes to put our oxygen mask on first before helping others, but we forget this principle in everyday life.

One of the most important ways we can invest in ourselves is by making sure the career path we follow aligns with what we value. This could translate into turning down that job with more money because it doesn't fit our desired career trajectory, reducing our workload (and perhaps financial reward) to spend more time with family, or starting that business we've always dreamed of.?

Again, you don't need to start big. An interest in entrepreneurship can start out as an Etsy shop or a side gig and then develop into something else. If you're not sure what you want out of your career or what would truly make you happy, a life or career coach can help. The key is to map out your goals and then commit to them as your true north - while, of course, acknowledging that these might change as you do. This short coaching clip on Instagram details the three simple steps involved with effective goal setting:

Connect with others

Making and maintaining connections is an essential aspect of investing in yourself. Not only are job opportunities often found via people in our networks, but people around us can often inspire us to take the next career step. A great way to connect with others is to invest time in networking, whether through in-person events or online communities.?

Working with a mentor is another excellent avenue for learning and growing in your career - a topic I covered in my most recent Mindset Matters newsletter.? A tip from Kim is to find five people you would like to emulate and follow them digitally. This way, their thoughts, tips, and advice enter your orbit. She says the best people to follow are those only a few steps ahead of you, as these are the people you can learn from the most.

Finally, maintain existing relationships within your company, industry, and overall community, as well as with your friends and family. Even if you've switched careers, there is always value in keeping in touch with your old colleagues. As Kim says:

?"leave the job, leave the industry, never leave the people."?

Strong relationships provide benefits for us both personally and professionally. Not only could these people end up connecting you to others in the future, having a solid support network is crucial for wellbeing and career success overall.?

Check out my full interview with Kim Kaupe, where we discuss navigating a career as a successful entrepreneur. What advice do you have for investing in yourself and your career? Please share with me in the comments.

Kim Kaupe is the Founder at Bright Ideas Only, Keynote Speaker, LinkedIn Learning Instructor. You can follow Kim on LinkedIn, join her Career Capital course, and join her Coffee With Kim live series.

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