Why Self-help Sometimes Fails Us

Money Energy Law #22:

Invest in your human capital. Enhance your skills, capability, and confidence to grow.

Human capital is often defined as the economic value of a worker's experience and skills. It encompasses education, training, intelligence, skills, health, and other traits that add value to an organization—but they also make you more valuable. And its also an essential ingredient of the Money Energy Formula.

Leveraging your human capital means having the talents and capabilities to earn income and create wealth based on your own natural and learned abilities. It’s more than just expanding your knowledge; it’s about creating more Money Energy potential. The higher your motivation, resourcefulness, and positive attitude, the greater potential for success. And I don’t just mean monetarily. Self-improvement is a personal transformation that connects to better health and a reduction in the influences of negative stress.

What’s holding you back?

Here’s a startling statistic: 96% of people fail when it comes to their personal development efforts.¹ If so many of us are focused on self-improvement, why are we so bad at achieving results? The most cited reasons are:

• Positive thinking doesn’t always lead to positive action. Don’t just think about it, make a plan and literally put time on your schedule to turn actions into habits.

• Sometimes we need a nudge. To make positive change in yourself, find a coach, mentor, webinar, or tools. I’m obviously advocating that you use DNA Behavior’s platform and resources.

• Expectations need to be reasonable. Often, we create unrealistic goals and anticipate more speedy results. Be patient and don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate return on an investment in your human capital.

• It’s not a hobby, but a commitment. Sometimes we see self-improvement from a nice-to-have versus a need-to-do perspective. This is what impacts the number of opportunities you are able to create which generates exponential stored Money Energy—or the lack thereof. Recognize how a commitment to human capital drives purpose in your life.

Self-improvement is vital for small business owners, too. Is it a coincidence that 96% of small businesses fail within the first 10 years?² Improving your human capital leads to potentially more opportunities, and in turn creates exponential stored Money Energy in your personal and business life.

This is when flow, momentum, and confidence start to build. As a leader, I notice those with a great attention span, who get down to work, listen to instructions, are clear-minded, and are rarely distracted. Another positive trait is their energy level and ability to focus. Further, they contribute to the business with their ideas. I know they will see and seize favorable circumstances when presented.

An Investment in People

Let’s look at a business leader who was reluctant to sponsor his staff and invest in human capital development. Patrick Bennett is 48 years old, married, with two children. He’s an “old school” CEO who has followed a traditional path up through the ranks to reach his current position. With a sharp focus on short-term profits, Patrick makes more time for budget decisions relating to revenue than for training and skill-building for his team. Still, given the climate of staff retention and the need to be more competitive in the marketplace, he valued his colleagues' opinions.

Patrick’s DNA Behavior profile reveals he is a Strategist, meaning he naturally blends his drive to reach key goals with sound knowledge, high-quality processes, and quality control standards. He can tend to be inwardly focused with a results-first mentality, especially with his perception that it is a primary characteristic of a strong leader.

Patrick controls decision-making and occasionally fails to take advice. However, as a recent subscriber to Business DNA^®, he’s learning more about the dynamics and value of his employees’ individual behavioral-styles and the importance of investing in human capital. He knows that for his business to continue to grow, it’s imperative to continue to develop his staff. He’s using DNA Behavior resources to help build comprehensive careers and increase retention. He also knows this will play a role in recruitment as the business expands. 

This initiative proved to be a turning point in the business. Patrick was hearing stories about employees and how they were experiencing skills development, mindset changes, feeling empowered, driven toward financial well-being, and feeling less stressed. Suddenly, a clear strategy was emerging about investing in human capital but, more importantly, increasing the employees' talents and creating a safe space for employees to talk about money.

Not only were Patrick and his team motivated, but they were keen to strategize to build more and more opportunities for their people to aspire to. How much investment have you made in human capital for yourself and your team?

I hope you’ll take your journey one step further and explore the Money Energy Discovery Process. Gain access to as little or as much as you need for yourself, your business, or a mix of both! Isn't it time you learned an improved method to achieve better financial wellbeing? Stay tuned every week as we continue to reveal all 40 Laws of Money Energy.

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¹https://www.businessinsider.com/96-of-people-fail-when-they-try-to-better-themselves-here-are-3-ways-to-make-sure-you-dont-2017-3

²https://www.tonyrobbins.com/career-business/why-do-businesses-fail/#:~:text=Unfortunately%2C%20business%20failure%20is%20common,means%20that%20they've%20survived.