In a very important way, business is just like the rest of our lives – we don’t know everything and pretending that we do will only come back to bite us. Even the most seasoned businessmen and women have areas beyond their expertise and it is only by understanding this that we might supersede these limitations, building ourselves as better and more astute in the financial world. So what methods are available here, and what is best suited for you?
Mentorship
One of the oldest methods to help understand where you need to grow in the world of finance is to involve the expertise of an established professional. Mentorship programs are available for a whole host of financial pursuits and businesses, with mentors commonly possessing intimate knowledge of your area which might go overlooked by other learning resources. Just remember to check out reviews online beforehand as, just as with any business, there will be those poised to take advantage, and those whose confidence exceeds their expertise.
“iRetreat KP – Mentorship and Member Voic” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by tedeytan
Learning Online
Fortunately, we live in an age where one-on-one mentorship is far from the only avenue of gaining additional knowledge. The internet gives us access to the wealth of human knowledge, covering every topic and stance imaginable. From fixing the hitch in your golf swing to finding out how much tax you should be paying on multiple properties to uncovering strategies and tactics for playin slots, there are resources available, and many of these will be free.
It should be noted, however, that not all online resources are created equal. Just as with mentorship programs, it is important to ensure that your chosen course or information bank is held in high regard within the community.
The Importance of Recording and Consolidation
Sometimes we have a tendency to either overlook our mistakes or sweep them under the rug. While not always intentional, this does create a dangerous pattern where understanding issues in the future might not be possible because of discarded information. Whenever you try something new or experience a significant failure or success, be sure to both record it and examine over time to see how it stands in your career.
“235-365 (Year 7) An unusual date … 11” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by ♔ Georgie R
There are many times when, looking back on some of our older financial decisions, we amaze ourselves at how obviously a tactic was going to fail, and how at our current level, such mistakes would never enter our work. Similarly, we can see those who fail to learn making the same mistakes over and over, never truly learning what it was that went wrong.
Be Humble
Finance is a tricky business. Filled as it is with excellence and egos, we can often underestimate the fine line between confidence and arrogance. Real long-term success comes in being confident in that which you know and having the security and humility to address that which you don’t. Only the luckiest will be able to build a career of failures, while the rest of us have to expend dedicated effort to ensure our mistakes don’t destroy us. Understand that, as a human, you are flawed and that there is always something to be learned, and you’ll find your future in finance all the brighter.