When I signed up to join the John Maxwell Team I thought it was a great idea - and it was - but maybe not in the way I first thought.
At the time I was 21 years old. I had decided to leave my career as a chef and started to study marketing. My business partner and I had been in business for less than a year. I was young and we were neither coaches, speakers or trainers. So, to get certified by a Leadership expert - was that the best thing to do with my money? Probably not. Would I chose differently if I could make the decision again? No. Why? Well, first of all, to quote John:
"Leadership is influence nothing more, nothing less."
So even though I wasn't a leadership expert myself and wouldn't have employees of my own in seven years influence is a crucial skill in all areas of our lives.
What would the alternative have been? The money that payed for the certification and the travel costs that came with it was the "college fund" my parents had saved up while I was growing up. I call it college fund but since education is free in Sweden the purpose for these money were to pay for my driving licens, maybe some furniture when moving away from home or to use as a downpayment on a flat or future house.
The money did cover my driver's licens and maybe some furniture as well. But would I still have those furnitures today? Well the answer to that question is no (since our house burned down), but even before that I'm quite certain we had changed most of the furniture since our first apartment.
Education however lasts! Travelling give you memories. And travelling alone internationally at a young age makes you grow as a person as well. These are the things I think made this a very sound investment after all. But there's also more...