If you're used to falling into jobs this new way of thinking may be foreign to you...
You budget for a two-week vacation each year so have you considered saving up to invest in your 30+ year career?
As a positive outcome to the Great Recession, it's my hope that more people manage their careers like they manage their 401Ks--with purpose, yearly investment and expert help. In fact, as I recently blogged on WholeLiving.com, outside help can help turn our stalled dreams into reality faster than we could ever do alone.
Unfortunately for the 4.4 million Americans experiencing long-term unemployment (over 1 year), investing in themselves is even more of a challenge now that it's coming up against paying the rent.
Don't wait until you get to this point to invest in yourself and your career. To get convinced, read on for my client Mary's success story. After she invested in her career she was promoted and has even more to spend on her vacations and her career:
Importance of Investing In Yourself Now Before It's Too Late
Q: You invested in your career both thru coaching and school. How does it feel now to see results from your efforts? Was it worth it?
A: Investing in yourself is one of the most critical aspects to a healthy career. Working with you Maggie helped me identify, assess, and confidently verbalize my strengths. Your coaching helped my confidence tremendously. Now I know if I focus on what I find inspiring (strengths, areas of interest) opportunity will follow.
Q: How did you know it was time to invest in your career? What motivated you to make changes?
A: In today's rapidly changing environment, feeling passion about who you are, where you are and where you want to go is crucial. You have to be the best because the talent pool is large. Investing in coaching with you gave me confidence and expertise about my own skills.
Q: Any advice for people considering investing in their careers to make a change? (do's, don'ts)
A: Any steps forward, no matter how small, add up over time. Doing nothing is not a solution.
Q: What have you learned about managing your career that's helped you find more happiness in your work?
A: Once I identified my strengths through our coaching work it was easy to translate these skills into my workplace. I also took time to communicate to management these strengths and future goals [and I was recently promoted]. Alignment with goals and strengths is the key to workplace happiness.
Thank you Mary and congratulations! Check out more client success stories!
Share your stories of how you've invested in yourself and the benefits you've received. I know Mary is not the only one taking charge of her career. You can be too! What's keeping you from making the investment in your career happiness and success?
All of the sudden, fear took hold. 
What is Twitter? Who is on Twitter? What can Twitter do for your career? 