In the mid-eighties, I was in a leadership role for a group of professional sales women in Phoenix, AZ. We put together a conference and were fortunate to have Rita Davenport, now Arbonne’s CEO, then, a local television personality, as our keynote speaker. Rita, a petite southern woman from Nashville, TN, has a dynamic personality.  After decades, I still remember 3 things from her talk.

She told about her big dreams. She wanted to go to college and drive a new, blue Corvette. Her high school academic counselor told her, “Honey, I’m sorry, but you’re just not college material.” Well, that didn’t stop Rita. She did go to college, in Memphis, TN, and became a recognized TV personality and a best-selling author of Making Time, Making Money. She was quite clear. “When you come into a room, and there are a bunch of people standing in your way, just set your course and go. They will move. Try it.” I have, many times. She’s right. No one knows the name of that high school counselor, but many women know who Rita Davenport is.

She closed her talk by reminding us that we need to own our lives. If we don’t believe in ourselves enough to invest our time and money in our professional development, why should anyone else? As she said, “The best investment is the one you make in yourself.”

I have lived these words. I remind myself of their truth when I need to exercise, or get more sleep, or learn a new software program, or read a book on social media marketing. In my coaching practice, often I find many people waiting for someone else to recognize their potential. Many won’t go back to school and get their degree because their employer won’t pay for it. If we keep waiting on someone else to invest in us, we will wait a lifetime.

It’s never too late to learn something new, to become more fit, to spend time with a friend, until we find our time has run out. Today, and every day, take time to make one small investment in the most important person in your life: you.

Rita, wherever you are, you were the first Southern woman I’d encountered. Now, I live in your hometown and you live in the Phoenix Metro area, my home for over 20 years.

After all this time, your words still ring true and there is not a day that goes by when I don’t say, “The best investment is the one I make in myself.”