Most people first earned money by using their own skills, talents, labor, knowledge and then increased it by investing the money they earned. Their own skills are the key to creating capital. Investment is necessary to be successful and this investment means the money we earn by using our skills. So the initial step of investment is our own skills, knowledge and hard work. Almost everyone who has become rich till date has first started earning money through their own knowledge, skills and work, whether it is a person of any profession, be it a businessman, an employee, a freelancer, a sportsman or an entrepreneur. No one can become rich overnight. Those who have been able to invest properly and use their skills properly by earning money are the rich of today and they have reached that level due to a combination of these few things.
Well that's the process. Because the first and most important thing we must prioritize is gathering insight and honing the skills we have so that we can be superior to other people. And only after that can we produce with our skills and insight. And the higher the insight we have, the greater the potential salary we will receive if we initially work for someone else. And if we build a business then we will not have so much difficulty managing the business that we have mastered with insight before. Once we start earning income, that's where we really have to think about how to increase the money we earn. We can invest our capital in other things or we can also invest in assets that are considered not to be eroded by inflation and will also continue to increase over time, such as in bitcoin or property or real estate.
And most importantly, we must always be able to adapt to the times. And we must always be able to add skills that are adapted to the needs of the times. And yes in the end without investment people cannot become rich. because buying books to read to broaden our knowledge is also included in other forms of investment.
We love this origin story: “skills first, then money, then investment, then wealth”. Sure, it’s the blueprint for social mobility, but it’s also the narrative that justifies why some people have more than others. That’s not criticism, just an observation. If we keep repeating the same narrative, we risk turning it into dogma instead of a living, evolving toolkit.
You’re right that knowledge, insight, and adaptability are the real currency, not just cash. But the timing and the “where you start” part is massively underrated. Not everyone has the same launchpad. Some are born into networks, safety nets, or mindsets that make risk-taking feel less risky. Some love the lone genius myth, but the system’s architecture matters more than anyone’s type. It’s easier to “invest in yourself” when the rent isn’t eating your capital and you’re not one bad break away from losing momentum.
People do get wealthy without investments (lotteries, inheritance, pure luck) but they rarely keep it without the skill-wealth-investment cycle you described. Is it really “investment” if it’s forced just to keep pace with inflation, or is it a treadmill with fancier jargon? We tell everyone to adapt, but if the system’s designed for churn, does upskilling ever end or just keep us chasing the next credential? The “knowledge economy” is now a subscription model.
Even “buying books” to invest in yourself is a privilege. Some can only afford the free pdf or YouTube hack, and some of those end up beating the Ivy grads anyway. Maybe adaptability itself is the ultimate asset, but then, who gets the real freedom: the one always investing, or the one who finally stops?