Since starting this blog, I’ve mostly focused on the technical aspects of investing—assets, markets, strategies, and financial histories. But if you asked me what the most important lesson I’ve learned about investing is, I’d say this: learning how to invest in myself.
In a world full of uncertainty, there’s very little we can control. We can’t dictate how markets move, how governments respond, who we work with, or even what others think of us. But we can control how much we save, how we strategize to offset market volatility, our mindset at work, and most importantly, our opinion of ourselves. At the end of the day, we should always be the only main character in our story. We should redirect energy away from things we can’t control and focusing inward—building the ideal version of ourselves and committing to that investment for life.
1. Your Health
A friend once asked me, “How do you manage to keep studying and learning all the time?” My first reaction was, “Because I’m hungry for success.” But the truth runs deeper: I can do it because my body feels good, and I feel energetic most of the time. This is no accident—I’ve invested heavily in my health.
Around 20% of my income and 8% of my time (two hours daily) go toward physical exercise and books. I hold memberships at two gyms to ensure I can work out during both weekdays and weekends. I also take private tennis and boxing classes on weekends and read books that challenge me to think and reflect.
These habits have given me a sharp mind, great energy, and stable mental status. I rarely call in sick or feel too drained to do what’s important. Your health is the foundation for everything else in life, and that makes it your most critical lifelong investment.
2. Your Willpower
These days, people often focus on identifying and labeling emotions but pay less attention to managing them. Don’t get me wrong—therapy is essential for those dealing with serious mental health challenges. But when it comes to common negative feelings, I believe we often overestimate their power and underestimate the strength of our will.
As someone born and raised in China and now working in finance in a Western country, trust me I’ve faced plenty of challenges—racism, language barrier, and dating failures. If I allowed negative emotions to control me, I’d never accomplish anything.
I remember once I was going through a tough breakup while preparing for the CFA exam, I gave myself a single day to be sad. The next day, I got back to work as if nothing had happened, determined to pass one of the most important exams of my life. My willpower reminded me that I am the only main character of my world, and no one—especially someone who didn’t value me—should get in my way.
Willpower is your compass when emotions threaten to derail you. Strengthening it is one of the best investments you can make.
3. Your Career
Career success isn’t just about improving skills or expanding networks—though those are important. It’s about finding your edge. If you simply follow orders without thinking critically, you’re replaceable. You need to think deeply and figure out how to do the work better. By doing that, you will gain the insights that other people don’t get, and you will impress the people instead of just meeting their expectations. That’s how you have the “edge”.
But what if there are some gaps between the job you have and the job you want to have? That happens a lot. To finally have the career you want you should use your free time and find a way to fill in the gaps.
Take myself as an example, I work as an analyst in the data centre sector. As much as I'm very passionate about my job, I want to become a more well-rounded financial professional, with expertise in both primary and secondary markets. To bridge this gap, I dedicate my free time to studying secondary markets, learning to analyse equities and M&A deals.
Always aim higher, push boundaries, and let your current role fuel your ambitions—not define them.
4. Your Relationships
This one is simple: nurture the good relationships and cut off the bad ones.
If you’re unsure which relationships fall into which category, you need to work on your principles, do some self-reflection, and set up the rules. If you have trouble with cutting off the bad ones, it likely means that you don’t love yourself enough. You need to work on that.
In terms of nurturing the good ones. No matter how busy or introverted I feel, I make a conscious effort to be there for my loved ones. And the return on this investment is priceless. As someone living far from family, my friends have become my greatest support system.
Good relationships don’t just happen—they’re built. Invest time and effort into the people who truly matter.
5. Your Faith and Ego
I’m an absolute narcissist. I believe, without a doubt, that I can achieve any goal I set for myself and one day I will be very successful. Sure, I get nervous or scared, but I’ve learned to trust that I’ll overcome whatever challenges I face. Building this faith didn’t happen overnight. It took years of self-reflection, celebrating small wins, and affirming my potential.
On the flip side, another thing I do is manage my ego. Once I learned how to do that, saving money became much easier for me. Sometimes, people buy luxury items and spend too much on their appearance because of their ego. They focus too much on looking good and appearing superior in front of others. A big ego often leads to overspending. Without savings, investing in the financial market will remain just an idea—unless you are a trust fund kid.
This blog offers a glimpse into how I see the world and what my inner world looks like. You don’t have to agree with everything I’ve said. There might be some blind spots—after all, I’m only 26.
Comments