How much is your head worth?

This morning I am reminded of situation that I remember my older brother telling me about over 20 years ago.  At that time he and his friends were really into riding motorcycles.  The really fast motorcycles (not sure if there are slow ones) but the ones that are considered sport bikes.  I am sure you have been on the road driving and have seen and heard a pack of them go by you and scare the crap out of you.  Anyway, he wasn’t that kind of rider, he was more of casual rider, but enjoyed riding and the camaraderie amongst the group.

He was in the market for a new helmet.  So he goes into the motorcycle shop and asks the sales person lots of questions about the different kinds of helmets for sale.  Being a young kid at that time, 20 or so, he asked the sales person how much should he spend on purchasing a helmet? I am sure he wanted to spend the least amount he could that provided the most benefit. The sales person replied and said “How much is your head worth to you?”  Long story short, my brother purchased one of the most expensive helmets in the store.  I can still remember him bringing that helmet home and showing me.

Even a young kid like my brother at that time knew that his head was very important.  You don’t go cheap on things that can protect things of value.

So my question for you, using this analogy of my brother and the helmet:

“How much is your head worth to you?”

I am not talking about formal education here. That’s a good place to start, going through school and getting the credentials.  I am talking about continued education. My mentor says this, “It’s not how much the book costs, it is how much is it costing you if you don’t read it.”  All you need is one little nugget from a book and it can change everything for you.  It could make you a better parent, spouse, marketing person, sales person, leader, colleague, business owner, etc.

How much are you willing to invest into your head?  I don’t know what that number is for you. What I do know is that you must be willing to make the investment, and be intentional about it every single day.  Filling up your head with positive thoughts and new information daily is the key to success.  You have to read the books, attend the classes, sign up for the training, attend the seminars, read the blogs, watch the videos, take the meetings, etc.

I was recently meeting with a group of very ambitious people.  These people were leaders amongst their teams and their companies.  I was talking to them about an investment into their continued education and learning. I don’t recall the actual monetary number I stated the investment would be.  However, it was a monetary investment.  It was also a time investment.  Both of these investments are very important.  Time and Money.  You have to manage both very carefully.  However, some of these people balked at the monetary investment.  If you aren’t willing to spend the money, then you cant expect to grow and develop and become that person of value.  That person of value to your company, your family, and to the marketplace.

I would challenge you with this.  Instead of thinking like my brother was when he went in and purchased the helmet, “what is the least I can spend and get the most benefit.”  I would have you to think like this, “how much do I need to spend to become the person I want to become.” This is driven by your goals and ambitions in your life. What do you want and what does it take to get it.

I want to leave you with this. The more value you place on your head, the more you should be willing to invest in it. Secondly, thinking about the future, how much do you want your head to be worth?  I would assume most people would say a lot.  I am not just talking money either, I am talking value to others in a variety of different ways.  To be of value, you have to make yourself more valuable, the only way to do that is to learn more.

To your success and your future.