💡 Invincible Tip - Invest in Your Future Now (Issue #472)

If you wait until you desperately need something, it’s often too late

“Too many people want to harvest fruit from a tree they haven’t planted yet.”

— Larry Cornett

I’ve been writing and sharing my career and life advice online for over six years. I publish on Medium and Substack. I share almost everything on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Mastodon, Quora, Flipboard, etc.

So, it’s not like I’m keeping my advice secret. It’s also not like my long-term friends and connections don’t know the recurring themes of what I share.

One of the most important ones is consistency. Similar to James Clear’s “atomic habits,” I always recommend that you be consistent with your professional development, writing, publishing, networking, job searching, exercising, self-care, etc.

When you invest in these tasks a little every day, or every week, you are investing in your future. You’re making a deposit in “the opportunity bank” so something will be available later when you need to make a withdrawal.

Unfortunately, too many people don’t follow this investment strategy. They don’t like the “vitamin approach,” so they desperately seek an emergency painkiller when things go sideways later.

And, my friends, life is like that. Things will go sideways. You will never have smooth sailing for your entire life or professional career. No matter how smart and talented you are, you do not control everything or everyone else:

• Your great boss may suddenly leave for a new opportunity, and now you’re reporting to a toxic, crappy manager.

• A corporate re-org may shove your department under a terrible leader who makes your life miserable at work.

• An acquisition may shake up your entire company and put your professional future in jeopardy in less than a week.

• A downturn in the economy might make it nearly impossible to find a new job when thousands of other laid-off people are competing with you.

• A pandemic may kill your business almost overnight.

All too often, someone will message me in desperation when something has gone wrong. They need a new job right away. They want high engagement on social media overnight. They want to spin up a side hustle or new business and replace their income immediately.

But, for years, they’ve done nothing to invest in this new path. They haven’t been networking, writing, connecting, researching, testing, building, or preparing themselves to jump to a “fresh horse” like some Pony Express rider. Instead, they’re hoping for a miracle, and sometimes they think I can make it happen.

Sorry, I can’t work miracles. There’s a reason I’ve written several hundred free articles over six years advising people, sharing tips, and recommending strategies to create an Invincible Career and Life.

I know that it all takes time!

Sometimes, you just have to pay your dues. You have to put in the consistent effort day after day, month after month, and year after year. If you haven’t, you can’t suddenly become a thought leader, an influencer, a sought-after consultant, or a dream employee that everyone wants to hire.

I'm sorry, but it won’t happen.

I know many of you reading this aren’t in a dire situation right now, and that’s a very good thing. You’re probably employed and doing ok. So, please take this advice, even though you feel safe and comfortable:

Start investing in your future today.

Plant the tree now that you want to provide shade and bear fruit tomorrow. Build your Plan B now, and be ready for a future crisis.

Because, if one thing is certain, there will be a storm at some point, and you will wish you were ready to weather it successfully.

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Hi, I’m Larry Cornett, a Personal Coach who can work with you to optimize your career, life, or business. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and Great Dane.