I remember when it started to become clear that inflation was underway, much more than anyone would have imagined just a few months ago. I saw it every day in the numbers: steel costs were skyrocketing, wages followed the same path, and prices of practically everything were increasing. It was impossible to ignore, even in our home building operations. I have nine home builders, in addition to the largest manufactured home company in the country, so I can say with certainty that costs just kept rising.

At first, I thought it was temporary, that when the stimuli ceased, demand would drop and everything would stabilize. But I was wrong. Furniture stores, for example, were closed for six weeks, and when they reopened, people rushed to buy as if the products were going to disappear. They didn't even care to wait months to receive their orders. It became an endless cycle of rising prices and insatiable demand.

I call my managers weekly, we review sales in Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, and the story is the same: people continue to spend, prices go up, and no one blinks. It is fascinating and terrifying at the same time. We are in a scorching economy, with money flowing everywhere.

I think a lot about what this means for the future. With this inflation, savers who rely on government bonds or fixed dollars are doomed to lose purchasing power. I say it clearly: inflation is an invisible tax, and most do not realize how it affects them until it is too late.

In my experience, there are two protections against this phenomenon. The first is to invest in yourself. If you develop your skills to the fullest, if you are the best in your field, you will always have a part of the economy, no matter what happens with money. The second is to own an extraordinary business, like Coca-Cola, which does not need constant capital and maintains its relevance over time.

I am not naive. Making mistakes is part of the journey, especially in business. But what really hurts are the missed opportunities, the decisions I did not make when I had all the information to do so. Those moments remind me that I cannot remain paralyzed.

Nowadays, I try to focus on what I can control. My investments are where I understand the long-term business economics. I do not invest in fads, no matter how attractive they may seem. And in my personal life, I choose to surround myself with people I admire, who inspire me to be better.

I do not know what the future will bring, but I am convinced that the best decision anyone can make is to work on themselves, constantly improve, and seek to do what they truly love. That is the only investment that never fails. Comment and share with a friend.