The most important teacher I’ve ever had wasn’t in any school. Instead, Bob Conklin was an entrepreneur, writer, and speaker who passionately cared about people and believed fervently that we humans were capable of great things.

Although he was extraordinarily inspiring, he bore almost no resemblence to many of the people who identify themselves as motivational speakers. Bob was both a compelling storyteller and an empathetic listener.

This wise and gentle man quietly enticed me into the world of personal growth and self-discovery. He suggested books, urged me to sign up for seminars. For that, I am forever in his debt.

Spending time with Bob was always worthwhile. Even now, I’m not entirely sure what made it so magical except that I always left such encounters liking myself a little bit better. That, in turn, made it possible for me to move ahead a little bit farther.

Bob wrote that he and his wife once sat down and added up all the investments they had made in their lives. Stocks, real estate, and other investments were all listed. Then they calculated the return on their various expenditures.

“By far, the greatest return on any investment we ever made,” Bob wrote, “were those investments in our own growth and development. The time and money we spent in seminars  gave us returns—financial and otherwise—that far outstripped any other investments we had made.”

Seeing the example of Bob’s life, I was already convinced. I also knew that if I was going to succeed on my own, I’d have to carve out a new curriculum for myself.

So how high a priority is learning for you? Are seminars in your budget? Do you gravitate to programs that teach skills or creative thinking?  Does your personal curriculum include both information and inspiration?

Don’t have a budget for success? It’s probably costing you more than you may think.

Mark Evans, a former newspaper reporter turned entrepreneur, had an article in the Globe and Mail on the importance of continuing education for entrepreneurs. He writes, “It is easy to dismiss the need to learn new skills, using excuses such as not having enough time, a lack of interest, or having no need to enhance your tools, but this would be a mistake.

“People and companies need to evolve, change, recalibrate and, sometimes, reinvent themselves to adapt to a changing landscape. If you don’t change, the world may pass you by.”

But that’s only part of the story. Currently, there’s a popular piece on the New York Times site called But Will It Make You Happy? (If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to read the entire piece.)

Here’s a sampler: “One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco— produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.”

But, of course, Bob Conklin knew that all along. I now know that was the best thing he taught me.