Money is only a small part of any investment strategy or business idea. It takes a wealth of knowledge and research to invest wisely and make your product a success.

In this article we’ll explore why learning is the most important part of investing and what you should be doing to maximise your income potential.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”

Benjamin Franklin Founding Father of the United States

You may have heard this quote before, but it's one of the best because it's so concise. I know you’re keen to learn, yet you probably still have the mindset that lessons are what come before you start investing.

No doubt you too think that the “real work” starts when you begin to invest your money, your time, and your energy in to actually building something that can generate wealth.

Sure, all of these things matter, but it's all too easy to think “I’ll learn some stuff, then apply it during the actual investment phase”.

This is not how life actually works. 

The reality is that your learning experience is much more fluid and interconnected with the actions you take in your business or investment strategies.

So let's dive in and see just why you should be investing more of your time and money into the pursuit of knowledge.

We’ve all heard this one right? “Knowledge is power”. Sure, I’d agree with that. But just knowing things doesn’t make you, yes specifically YOU, any more powerful, as much as you might want to believe it does.

Think of it with this visualization. You may input information into your brain, but it's busy in the background interpreting that information through the filter that is your life.

Both you and I could read the same book or listen to the same podcast, but our beliefs, mindset, life lessons and personality will shape how we perceive that information.

The power comes from your capability to apply the knowledge you’ve gained, and that’s entirely down to you.

Whether you deem something “right up my alley” or “Way too complex for my feeble brain”, this is the lens through which you view life and its many challenges.

Many people aren’t fully aware that this is what's happening, blaming the author or the podcast presenter for overcomplicating things. The truth is much more personal to you.

Knowledge doesn’t empower you directly. In fact, some knowledge won't even be of use to you, but ironically that is just as useful. I’ll explain more about this topic in a later chapter.

For now, I just want you to be consciously aware that you are constantly interpreting the knowledge you can understand, while unconsciously filtering it through your own personal lens.

Once you know this, it’ll help you be much more efficient with the methods through which you learn.

It happens to all of us, and it's a good thing!

Contrary to what people often tell you, these are all signs that the method with which you’re being taught just doesn’t suit you.

Can you remember a time when you were so into something you just couldn’t stop thinking about it? Maybe a hobby or interest that just sucked you in and made you want to know more and more. A time when you were completely engaged with a subject.

It was probably more than just your interest in the topic that engaged you so much. It was likely also the method by which the knowledge was communicated to you.

Maybe it was one of the following.

It was through tangible demonstrations you could interact with

The presenter was funny and entertaining rather than straight-faced and overly academic

It was the formal authoritative teaching style that really worked best for you

The audiobook narrator had the kind of voice that appealed to you

Chances are one or more of these reasons springs to mind when you think about the time you last had a thirst to learn more.

These are the real reasons you fell in love with that subject and they are vitally important when it comes to efficiently digesting more knowledge as well.

In order to gain enough knowledge and successfully apply it, you’ll need to find which ways work best for you. We’ll explore this in a little more detail shortly, but for now try to imagine those times you totally zoned out and disengaged.

Now compare those times with the ones you were completely enthralled and obsessed with a subject.

How can you make those disengaging moments more enthralling?

They say “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Well, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t built on a Friday afternoon either!

There are times and days that no matter how much you love to learn, it's just not gonna happen as effectively as you’d like it to.

Building your “Rome” and gaining the knowledge you need will require 3 main elements.

   ✅ Motivation    ✅ Consistency    ✅ Knowing when to take a break

Let’s explore each of these to understand why they’re so important.

Getting out of bed and going for that early morning run takes motivation. Knowing how rewarding it will feel when you cross the finish line before your day has even started is an important driving force.

Not only this but running that 5k takes motivation to keep going. You are constantly checking in on yourself to gauge how you feel and the impact your run is having on your body.

Your knowledge investment is like a run. Before you’ve even started reading a book or checking out a podcast, you need to get motivated to see it through.

You’ve yet to turn the first page or listen to the first sentence and may have hundreds of pages or many hours of audio to listen to.

Once you’ve started, you need to stay motivated enough to see it through, keep on digesting information and continue to turn pages, all the while building on the knowledge you’ve learnt the day before.

Motivation will ebb and flow as you continue to learn and some aspects of topics will feel more engaging than others. So keep in mind your level of motivation and what you can do to re-boost it to keep you focussed.

Gaining new knowledge is like eating sushi. Consuming information little and often rather than a huge plate load of it is the key to keeping your learning rate consistent.

This is all the more important when you take into consideration things like burnout and feeling of being overwhelmed.

There’s so much you can learn and if you’re really engaged with the subject, your thirst for knowledge will far outweigh your available time and mental capacity.

Finding the right balance where you can consistently learn without overwhelming yourself will keep you motivated and help you process the knowledge you’ve gained.

Try to learn smarter, not faster. Remember the Tortoise beat the Hare by being smart, not fast. You get no prize for overloading yourself with too much knowledge too quickly.

One thing I see time and time again is people getting addicted to education.

It sounds like an odd affliction but it happens to the best of us.

You start to read more and more, watch more youtube videos, sign up to more courses, mastermind programmes and have an endless list of audiobooks you want to consume.

All without ever taking any real actions from the insight you’re learning.

On the macro scale its important to stop, digest what you’ve learnt and figure out how to apply it to your circumstances.

On a micro level its important to do the exact same thing. You need to know not only how much information you can digest in one session but also giving yourself a break to contemplate its application too.

Time management is key to making the most from what you’re learning.

The biggest problem you’ll face is finding the style of information that works best for you.

There are various formats you can digest knowledge in and some will work better for you than others.

To give you a head start I’ve put together the pros and cons of each format to see which you feel best suits you.

You can find an Audiobook version of nearly every published book. Often narrated by the author and giving you the opportunity to digest an entire book without ever having to stop and read it.

This format is perfect for people on the go or in environments where its not possible to pick up a book and start reading.

Audiobooks are one of my favourite ways to gain knowledge, and there are a number of reasons why they work so well.

So lets explore them further.

The human connection of listening to someone talk can really connect you to the knowledge you seek to learn, giving it an authentic and relatable feel.

This not only conveys the lessons you want to learn but is far more likely to have an impact on you than the written word. When another human tells you something, it can stick with a force that just isn’t there when you read alone.

If you’re like me, then your smartphone never leaves your side. Always there, filled with apps to help you stay connected, shop and listen to audiobooks!

Whether you’re taking a break at a coffee shop, out for a walk or off for a run, there’s always time to listen to an audiobook. It’s super convenient to just grab your phone and press play on your latest book.

There are plenty of other times you can listen to an audiobook too:

• Walking the dog
• Riding your bike
• Going for a run or walk
• Quality me time at a coffee shop
• In the car on the way to and from work
• On a plane
• In the bath
• On the toilet (Admit it, you take your phone there too!)

While you could take a book to some of these places, you are much less likely to do so and some of them would be downright dangerous!

You can listen to an audiobook in so many scenarios, it has become the most convenient way to listen to experts and invest in your knowledge quickly and efficiently.

I highly recommend setting your playback speed to 1.5x or even 2x speed, as I find this is much more representative of the speed people actually talk to each other.

It also means you can complete a book in half the time - if you can keep up.

Of course, this approach isn’t for everyone and you may value your downtime while driving, running or dog walking.

You may also find that some books don’t translate to an audio version quite so well.

When seeking to gain insights from “The 4-hour work week” by Tony Robbins, a must for anyone seeking a truly passive income and a blissful life, you may struggle with the audiobook version, as there are plenty of assignments throughout the book.

You’ll miss out on these if you’re out for a run and nowhere near a pencil and paper.

If there are diagrams or pictures to illustrate points, you’re also going to miss out on those too.

For me, the upsides far outweigh the downsides, and I’ve been able to work through numerous books in a week using this method.

When people think of how to invest in their knowledge, they often think of books first. They’ve been around for millennia and are still one of the best ways to learn from experts and develop your knowledge and perspective on seemingly unachievable goals.

You can’t beat a good book. Taking the time to read every word and soak in the meaning is incredibly helpful.

Page after page of wonderful reference material that you can easily bookmark and refer back to whenever you like.

It's a romantic notion and one that has endured for many years. Let's face it, it's fun to collect books and sit down for a good read.

The major advantage of a real book is that you can easily bookmark, highlight and reference key quotes and sentences that stand out to you.

You can easily write them down too, keeping a handy list of your favourite takeaway knowledge.

I find that the technique of copying passages is where reading books can offer something that audiobooks can’t.

Of course there are downsides which are important to acknowledge too.

Travelling with books is cumbersome. Travelling with a few of them can soon add a sizeable amount of extra weight to your luggage. Finding the book you want in your language while in other countries can prove difficult too.

There are always options like virtual copies from the Apple Books app, Kindle and other e-readers.

But you may struggle to find the time to read if your day is filled with parenting duties, pet walking duties and a full day of work. Many people choose to read before bed, but I would not recommend this for non-fiction books, as you’ll struggle to retain the knowledge since your brain begins to shut down at night.

The key here is that if books really work for you, then run with it.

I recommend buying the books you want while you can, especially if a life less ordinary is your calling and getting hold of the books you like becomes more of a challenge in the future.

It's no surprise that I’m a huge fan of podcasts and that’s because they can offer you real-world examples of people actually living the life you want.

Inspiring interviews on topical subjects will give you an insight into just how it's possible to live a blissful life.

While books are a more formal approach to learning, podcasts are the fringe festival filled with case studies, tips and tricks that are often right up to date.

There’s no need to wait for a new edition of a well-known book, you can find podcasts published TODAY containing proof that the lessons you’re learning can actually work for you.

The content is usually highly topical, with advice based on the latest trends, market conditions and up-to-date case studies. Books just can’t compete with this.

I highly recommend finding multiple podcasts on the topics that you’re learning about.

Some may offer useful knowledge and quick lessons on certain subjects, but I highly recommend using them to get proof of concept and real-world examples.

Not only that, but you often get both the highs and lows of your chosen subjects.

Having confirmation from multiple sources is much better than trusting just one source.

It's worth browsing through the archives of podcasts to find episodes that relate to what you’re currently learning about.

You don’t just have to listen to the latest episode. You can browse the podcaster’s archives for knowledge that relates to where you’re currently at in your journey.

It's a great way to see if your opinions of the knowledge you’ve recently gained tally with those of the guests on the podcasts too.

Here’s an interesting concept that many people don’t realise but I believe is vitally important you should.

It's impossible for every page of a book and every conversation in a podcast to be crucial information that you will apply.

In fact, I’d wager this accounts for more than half the information you gain through books, ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, courses and seminars.

This flies in the face of what we’re led to believe about the methods in which we invest in our knowledge.

We’re told that every page is filled with practical tips you can apply to your business, that this book really is the ultimate guide to succeeding in property, passive income, self-improvement, etc.

I only deal in reality here and the reality is something much different.

Here’s how it REALLY goes…

Of all the pages you read in the next book you buy, 75% of them may inspire you.

Of that inspiring 75%, only 50% or so will be things that suit your strategy or life goals. That’s 38% of the book’s pages.

Of that 50%, only 15% of it will be the things you can take action on right now.

Just 6% of the book’s pages!

If your next book is 300 pages, that’s just 18 pages of useful, actionable content.

Doesn’t sound quite as impressive now, does it?

The fact is much of what you read is there to inspire, some of what you read you’ll find applies to you, and only a fraction of what you read will be actions you’re capable of putting to good use.

Much of what you will read will always be useful information, but not something you can go out into the world and make something of.

At least not right away.

It’s a common misconception that the knowledge you gain now must be put to good use.

People put too much pressure on themselves to perform every task an author tells them.

They think that success comes from following all of the processes, strategies and targets.

Even with the best will in the world, it's more than likely you won't do this and you’ll often feel like a failure, just another book you didn’t fully make use of.

Let’s squish that bug right now. While investing in knowledge is fundamental to your journey towards a bliss filled life, you cannot and will not do it all.

This is not failure, this is successfully understanding what applies to you and your goals.

The great thing here is that you’re banking all those other actions for future situations. You’re arming yourself with the knowledge to push your business, finances, startup ideas, passive income options and life to the next level.

When we talk about investing in knowledge, remember that means understanding and collecting perspectives and options for your future. So just because you don’t act on everything right away doesn’t mean it wasn’t still a wise investment.

It's all too easy to finish one book and find another. Some people even start multiple books or audiobooks and often don’t finish them all.

There’s clearly a disconnect between being inspired and taking action.

So let's explore why this is and what you can do about it.

It's highly likely that, in the grand scheme of things, you’re closer to the start of your Bliss Investor journey than you are to the end of it. Your goals are still a way off and you’re looking for successful people to learn from.

This generally means you’re reading books and taking courses by people who have reached their goals, walked the path from start to finish and created the book, course, podcast or audiobook you’re now enjoying.

While these people may inspire you, it's entirely possible they make you feel a whole host of other emotions too.

Intimidated by the author’s success stories

Overwhelmed by the author’s level of expertise

Feeling left behind as they’re years ahead of you

Struggling to keep up with all the technical jargon

Anxious after viewing the entire path from start to finish

All of these feelings have something in common, they all view the knowledge you can gain as an enormous block encompassing all that you must do.

It’s no wonder you sometimes feel these emotions and often fail to take meaningful action.

For all of what you read, hear, interact with and witness, in whatever form your knowledge is delivered to you, you should regularly take time to process just how this applies to your story and plan. Some of the knowledge will influence what plan you want to achieve, some will give you a strategy to follow and some will merely inspire you to keep going.

All of this must be interpreted by you and only you. This is where the struggle comes in.

On the one hand, you’re in uncharted territory and it's all too easy to let the fear stop you from taking action.

On the other hand, your hunger for this knowledge and motivation to enact change is why you’re investing in knowledge, so taking steps, however small, is what it's all about.

Take the newly gained knowledge in manageable chunks and see whether it's something you want to apply to your Bliss Investing journey.

It might just be a small change of strategy, a few tasks to improve your business, or a new meditation technique to help make you a calmer, happier person.

A chapter at a time is perfect. Write down your thoughts to help process the information you’ve just read.

Is it something you think would fit with your plans?

Is it something you could do right now to get things moving?

Can you break down what you’ve learned into easily manageable tasks?

Are there actions you could take in the future when the time is right?

If it's a course or seminar you’re on, write down notes during the event if you can or take the break time to scribble down your thoughts and ask yourself those 4 questions.

Whatever you do, don't wait until the end of a book, or the end of the day when the seminar has finished, to process ALL of the information at once. You’re guaranteed to forget bits, misremember others and fail to jot down those tasks you can do now.

Remember that you can always re-read, refer back to and re-listen to the information you’re taking on.

Your investment in knowledge isn’t a one-off event, in fact, I highly recommend re-reading your favourite non-fiction self-help books to trigger those positive emotions around inspiring quotes, useful actions and winning strategies.

I hope the chapters above have given you food for thought on your Bliss Investor Journey and cast a bright spotlight on why gaining knowledge and getting educated is fundamental to your success.

The price of this knowledge is incomparable to the change it can have in your life and the financial reward it can bring you.

Yet still, it seems as though everyone expects a quantifiable return on their investment, even if it's just education. This starts from an early age when the cost of university is compared to the salary a career as a graduate professional can generate.

After all, these books, courses and podcasts often throw an onslaught of impressive numbers at you. How many extra sales you’ll make, how quickly you’ll make a million, how many followers, or how many assets.

My advice is to ignore these numbers. They are often anecdotal rather than statistical evidence that something works.

When they are based on a data set of results, the pool of data is often small and positively biased.

If you compare your experience to these numbers, you’re almost certain to come up short, feel defeated by someone else’s experience and severely dent that positive mindset you’ve been working so hard to establish and maintain.

I highly recommend you find numbers YOU feel comfortable with. Maybe you’re happy to start small and hopefully exceed your expectations.

Maybe a slower pace would actually suit you better to help maintain your life / work balance and maintain a healthy mindset.

Maybe you’re confident you can beat those numbers based on the unique strategy you’re concocting from everything you’ve been learning.

This is an important approach to your business, life and successes. You can achieve great things if only you compare yourself to each step you’ve taken.

Expect mistakes, expect failures, and expect to learn some harsh lessons. These are all part of your education. Failures are just another lesson successfully learnt.

So with all this in mind, you might still be thinking “Yes but still, how do I justify the cost of gaining knowledge?!” And I don’t blame you.

I’ve been there and done that. When you hand over your credit card and buy an expensive course, or endlessly purchase books that you think will boost your income quickly and easily.

Here’s the kicker, you can definitely quantify the positive impact your education will have on your business and life goals. You just can’t do it yet.

‘You can have everything in life, just not all at once”

Oprah Winfrey Television Presenter & Author

Don’t expect to read a book, tick off a few tasks from your to-do list and easily make a profit on the investment in your knowledge.

While it's entirely possible to boost your earnings with clever strategies and inspirational case studies, it's only after hard work, determination and a good amount of time that you can look back and see what a difference these things make.

And here’s kicker number 2.

By the time you can look back and analyse if those audiobooks, podcasts and seminars made a difference, you will have accumulated so much knowledge from so many sources that you’ll have a hard time picking out which of them actually made a difference.

The truth is they all did. Every cog in the machine makes it turn. Every stepping stone leads you to your destination.