How important are our assets that won’t be driven, slept in or used to buy clothes?

From many students’ intro to finance class, assets and liabilities were drilled into our heads. And we always thought they were something tangible, something that can be written down. Assets, the things we possess, can go within a whim, quick to slide over to the red side of the column.

There is one asset that we can own that will never diminish as long as we hold on to it consistently.

The biggest asset you can own is in courage. Not just the slay a lion type of courage, the courage to be yourself and express yourself at your highest potential.

Courage is the gateway for every other experience to flourish.

I remember being in my 9th grade science class. It was my first year moving from a public school to a much more challenging school in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. I was intimidated to speak up in class because I assumed everyone was smarter than me. What I began to notice was a pattern in that biology class; every time I thought I knew the answer, I was typically right. But I never had the courage to raise my hand and speak up.

Towards the end of the term, all the class had a quiz returned. Everyone was curious to find who got the highest mark. Ms. Ayers said that I had, and in a weird change of events all eyes were on me in the back of the class room. People look puzzled, because I barely had participated in the class, but did well on the test.

Did I cheat? I had cheated. I cheated myself by not sharing what I knew and what I had worked hard for.

What I lacked in courage, I lacked in growth and development.

And if we can have the courage to be ourselves, and the courage to speak for what is right, its truly one investment we will never regret.

This article was sent to us by Jacob Stenhouse, BBA graduate from American College of Dubai.