553. Invest in Your Own Education

The best investment of time, money and effort that you can make is in your own education, but only if you apply what you have learned in practical terms. Apprendre pour apprendre is the French expression that carries the sense of learning for the sake of learning. This is a fine and noble idea but it is a luxury. Make sure you can afford it. Your learning should follow a plan. There should always be a practical, material benefit to your learning. It should enhance your career (i.e. give you a better paycheck) and it should bring benefits to those around you. (i.e. the practical application of your new skills for the benefit of the less fortunate). It is a never-ending process.

281. Career

Whatever your career, lesrn well and respect your craft. Do not fear failure. Be Kind and Respectful. Work hard and with integrity. Be easy to be around.

158. Go the Extra Mile

Another suggestion for living better is to give more than you are paid for. Make this a principle by which you live your life. This will make you so valuable in your work that you become indispensible. Always go the extra mile.

Everything in life has a price and in modern society the way you pay for it is with the money you earn. Therefore, at every opportunity, improve your career. Take exttra courses. Improve all of your skills. Acquire new skills. Learn new languages. Do this even when the subjects bore you. You may only ever need to use the skill once in your lifetime but by having it you will be more confident and more useful. This will open the door to higher earnings.

Put out more on your job than you are being paid for. Miracles will begin to happen. If it makes you unpopular with your co-workers, that is their problem. Only you can live your life and there will be people depending on you.

Do this today and tomorrow and for ever.

This principle has an application with homework and examinations. When you are given an extra question which is optional, always do the extra question. You may have got one of the earlier questions wrong. In cases like that the examiner will always give you the benefit of the best questions you have done.