Do you invest your money? Putting away a portion of your income into an investment plan creates more money later. With interest rates and financial pundits it is easy to see why financial investment makes sense.

But what about investment in other areas? Do you invest in your time, brain, body or space? What about investments in the books you read and friends you meet? Although few areas of life have the precision of an investment account, applying investment principles to other situations can have incredible gains.

Here are a few started points to consider your investment into life:

Mind. How much time do you spend learning? Not just studying for mandatory courses, but subjects you seek out only to learn. You can’t predict the value new information will have until you learn it. So pick up a book and start investing in your brain.

Body. Until medical science allows full body transplants, your stuck with your body for awhile. Putting in the right investments of exercise and healthy eating will ensure it can pay out later. Extra energy, less sick days, increased mobility and a longer life are just a few of the returns.

Skills. What skills may come in handy later? Knowing how to prepare your taxes? How to fix your computer? PHP? Spend a half hour each day investing into a skill.

Order. A small amount of time spent creating an organizing system can save dozens of hours otherwise lost. A simple system to order your tasks and office will keep mess from compounding.

Tools. Need to upgrade your computer? Or maybe you just need to do a quick reformat to clean out the hard drive. Craftsmen keep their tools sharp, why not yours?

writing. Do your e-mails look like they were written by a thirteen year old on an instant messenger chat screen? writing isn’t going away any time soon, so learn to communicate clearly in print.

network. Building a professional and private circle of friends is something you can’t do on demand. It takes considerable upfront investment, often when you don’t really need it. But having an extended network can give you access points to opportunities later.

Communication. How are your speaking skills? Can you do a fantastic cold call? Are you good at talking to strangers? How about empathizing with a friend? Find opportunities to invest in your communication skills.

Stories. Are you living a life worth talking about? I like to see interesting experiences as being investments in stories later. Do something worthy of telling stories later.

Courage. Make getting uncomfortable a habit. If you regularly flex your emotional muscles in handling new situations you are better prepared for when you really need to. You don’t need to take huge steps, just small investments.

Work Ethic. Invest in creating the character traits to get stuff done. Investing in these core traits are easier because the act of investment is useful in itself. While exercising at the gym may lead to a healthy body it doesn’t create new value. Finishing projects, building discipline and developing a productivity system will invest in a work ethic while adding value.
Leaky Faucets. The drip-drip-drip of a leaky faucet can waste huge amounts of water over time. But water loss isn’t the only type of leaky faucet you can encounter. If a problem is small but likely to reappear, fixing it immediately can save enormous costs later.

Habits. Your regular routine is an often neglected but incredibly important aspect to consider. You can’t turn yourself into a robot, but you can take simple steps to ensure your daily activities flow smoothly. Eating habits, sleeping habits, work habits and your daily rituals all contribute to your life.

Strong Connections. networking isn’t just about adding names to a Rolodex or a Blackberry. Having close professional and private bonds can be an incredible asset. Investing in empathy, listening and softer, more passive, skills can be an incredible asset in making you a people person.

Rest. Frustrated stress is an emotional debt. Although it’s good to have a challenge you also need to invest in your psychological well-being. Finding outlets for frustrations and creating rituals to recover your energy can ensure you don’t accumulate debt payments later.

Basics. Invest in the areas of your life that come up frequently. If mastered, basic skills, routines and places can reduce the amount of work you need to do. Basic skills such as cooking, reading, exercising and listening all benefit from investments.

Appearance. You could definitely argue that the world is far too shallow, and I’d have to agree. But your appearance and attire is a subtle form of communication about yourself. So if you’ve been sporting the four day stubble and your shirt has one too many holes, maybe it’s time to invest in that first layer of communication.

Business. Anyone who tells you that running an online business or self-employment is easy is either a liar or a fake. That being said, working on your entrepreneurial skills has advantages that go beyond money. Besides doing something you love, you can make new connections, build a reputation and immerse yourself in an environment of learning. I know many people that have started Businesses, and while it definitely takes work, the investment is usually worth it.

你用钱投资过吗？如果你的部分收入用作投资的话，那将带来更多的回报。有了利率的驱动和财经权威人士的辅助，我们很容易就明白金融投资的意义。

但你有没有想过其他的投资渠道呢？你投资过你的时间、头脑、身体和空间吗？投资你读过的书和见过的朋友又怎样呢？尽管生活当中很少领域精算过其投资帐目，但是把投资原理应用到其它领域将会带来意想不到的回报。

以下几点将引领你去投资生活。

头脑。你愿意花费多少时间在学习上？不只是为了学习必修的课程，而是要找科目来学。在你学习某样东西之前，你无法预计它的价值和所带来的新信息。所以，马上拿起一本书开始为你的头脑投资吧。

2. 身体。现在的医疗科学已经达到可以全身移植的地步了，你只是暂时背负着自己的身体。如果进行合适的运动投资加上健康的饮食，那将保证你很快就得到回报。充沛的体力，健康的日子，良好的活力和长久的生命只是投资回报的一小部分

3. 技能。哪些技能日后会用得着呢？知道怎么为你的纳税做准备吗？知道怎么安置你的电脑吗？知道怎么使用PHP吗？每天投资半个小时去学习一个技能吧。

4. 整理。花费很少的时间就可以创造一个有组织的系统。这样就可以为日后节省很多时间，反之则然。如果那个系统只是能够简单管理你的事务和办公室，那么你的工作将变得一塌糊涂。

5. 工具。需要更新你的电脑吗？或者你只需要把你的硬盘格式化。工匠会把他们的工具磨得很锋利，为什么你不学他们吗？

6. 写作。你的e-mail看起来象一个13岁小孩在即时聊天屏幕上写的东西吗？写作在任何时间都不会离你而去，所以要学会以书写的形式与别人交流。

7. 网络。建立一个专业和私人的人际网并不是随手可得的。它常常需要在不经意的时候先进行投资。但有了一个广阔的人际网，它就能带给你很多机会。

8. 沟通。你的沟通能力怎样？你能应付一个即兴的访问吗？你善于与陌生人沟通吗？怎样去怜惜一个朋友呢？找机会为你的沟通能力进行投资吧。

9. .故事。你的生活是否值得一谈？我喜欢经历有趣的事情，就像对日后与经历有关的故事进行投资一样。做事情就是在给别人讲故事。

10. .勇气。养成不自在的习惯。应对你做了充分准备的新情况，如果你有规律地使自己的情感肌灵活运作的话，那么在你真正需要的时候就会发挥作用。你不必要大刀阔斧，只是需要平时小小的投资。

11. 职业道德。对自己的性格特性进行投资，以便把工作完成。投资这些核心并非难事，因为投资本身就是收益者。在体育馆健身会令身体健康，但它不会创造新的价值。完成工作项目，建立工作准则和开发生产率系统将是对职业道德投资而并非有附加值。

12. 漏水的水龙头。从一个漏水的水龙头滴下的水，久而久之就会浪费大量的水资源。但是水的流失并不是你能看到的唯一后果。如果遇到一个不久就要重现的小问题，一定要马上解决它，这样就能够挽回以后的巨大损失。

13. 习惯。你的日常行为习惯是一个容易忽略而又十分重要的方面。你不可能把自己变成一个机器人，但是你可以采取一些小步骤来确保你的日常活动顺利进行。

14. 强大的关系。建立关系网并不是在Rolodex或者Blackberry上面添加几个名字就行了。拥有专业和私人的关系会是一笔意想不到的财产。投资怜悯、聆听和温柔、更加被动的技巧是你具有良好人缘的宝贵财富。

15. 休息。沮丧的压力是一种情感债。虽然接受挑战是好事，但你也要对你的心理健康进行投资。为挫折寻找发泄出路，为恢复体力创造方法，那样会保证你日后不会累积情感债。

16. 基本功。对你经常的活动领域进行投资。如果你熟透了这些基本技能和日常活动的地方，那将会令你事半功倍。基本技能包括煮饭，阅读，运动和聆听，这些全得益与那些投资。

17. 外表。你肯定会认为这个世界过于肤浅。我也是这样认为的。但你的外表和衣服是一种你与外界沟通的微妙方式。所以，假如你挂着4天的短须，你的衬衣穿了好多小孔，那么你是时候要对沟通的第一关进行投资了。

18． 做生意。如果某人告诉你网上贸易或者个体经营是一件易事的话，那个人肯定是个说谎者或者骗子。努力挖掘你的创业技能远比赚钱重要。除了做自己喜欢的事情，你还可以交新朋友，建立声誉，同时把自己沉浸在一个学习的环境中。我认识很多已经开始做生意的人。在他们的生意有起色的时候，当初的投资就是值得的。