Investing in yourself pays the best interest and has huge rewards. Here are 10 ways that you can invest in yourself and put your money to work for you.
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Investing in the stock market has its place as it’s about making your money grow and work harder for you for financial gain.
For us, monetary wealth is just a part of overall wealth. We’ve broken down wealth in 5 elements which include health and relationships.
When you invest in yourself you’ll receive more rewards that can’t be measured in percentages.
Plus I’d argue this is the most risk-free method of investing with guaranteed returns.
Investing in yourself is the most important form of investing you should do!
It yields both future returns and present gains, to me it pays the best interest.
You can invest in yourself using your money, your time, your efforts and your energy.
Think of this as growth and development sprinkled with self-care and overall balance.
Here are 10 ways that you can invest in your yourself and yield present and future gains!
Let’s go.
1. Set Life Goals
Live your life more purposefully and channel your time, energy and money to intentionally build your life.
The truth is, success and progression doesn’t usually just happen out of the blue.
Goals gives you that intentionality and focus to achieve success and progress in life.
It’s the best method of converting dreams and wishes into reality.
Set goals for your finances, relationships, spirituality, career, business, health and so on.
Guide to setting SMART goals:
- Specific: I want to be pay off my credit card debts and get rid of my overdraft
- Measurable: My credit card debts add up to £5,000 and my overdraft is £1,000
- Achievable: According to my budget I can allocate between £200-£300 towards this
- Realistic: If I’m being honest, I have luxuries/expenses I can cut down. I don’t strictly live hand to mouth
- Time-Bound: I aim to be debt-free within the next 2 years.
A goal without a plan, is just a wish!
The best way to invest in yourself is to stop wishing and start planning what future-you looks like.
An amazing goal-setting resource we use is called the Clever Fox Planner, it’s amazing.
2. Build Your Self-Worth & Self-Confidence
Self-worth is valuing who you are as a person and self-confidence is about believing in yourself.
This is not about what you have or don’t, where you live, or how much money you make.
It’s about you knowing your value, finding your voice, and being comfortable in your skin.
If you believe that you’re not worthy of a job promotion, good enough to start a business, or smart enough to manage your finances well, then that’s what you’ll be.
Invest in yourself to change this mindset!
Quick action tips for you:
- Change how YOU talk to yourself. Speak to yourself kindly and positively, STOP being your own worst critic and start being your own hype man!
- Know yourself, and accept yourself. Spend some time getting to know what you like, what makes you tick, what brings you joy! Date yourself.
- Keep a gratitude journal where you write down 3 things you’re grateful for every day!
- Be selfless and help others in need. You’ll be surprised how much value you have to give others!
- Do something that scares you and challenges you every day.
Some of these concepts have been adopted from the book, What To Say When You Talk To Yourself.
3. Attend Seminars, Workshops & Events
Investing time and energy attending events, whether online or in-person, has many benefits.
You can attend events whereby you’ll learn a new skill and gain a new perspective that will enhance your expertise in your professional and personal sphere.
These events offer great networking opportunities to connect and build new relationships that could be fruitful for your career or your business.
Not only that, but you could make meaningful connections with other people who are on the same journey as you.
Following on from making new connections is that you can gain new insights and get various perspectives on your line of work.
This could spark new innovations or inspirations that could be as useful as the event itself.
The beauty of the present day is that there are endless amounts of free online webinars that you can find that will teach you a lot alongside making new connections.
Check out meetup and search for local events according to your topic of interest.
Your network is your net worth
4. Sleep Right
I don’t subscribe to the work hard-and-grind or sleep-is-for-suckers mindset.
Work and sleep go hand in hand, like a seesaw.
We live in an ever-busy world with never-ending to-do lists and constant outstanding tasks that sometimes what you need is good sleep.
Not just for one night, but a good sleeping pattern.
Sleep is a big part of your health which is also a part of your overall wealth.
Sleep is right up there with nutrition and exercise so make sure to give it the attention it deserves
To be clear, I’m not talking about laziness. This is about giving your body the rest it needs.
After a good night’s sleep, you’ll wake up more alert and sharper, higher energy levels, attention span, and reaction times.
This plays a big role if you have an important or special day ahead.
I personally have a sleeping routine where I listen to positive affirmations, read, or meditate to get my mind and spirit in a calm state.
This has led to an increase in the quality of my sleep and not waking up feeling like all I did was close my eyes.
To have good quality of sleep is to invest in yourself
Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds
JoJo Jensen
5. Eat Right
Health is wealth.
Your health is one of the most important assets in your life and eating well is a big part of that.
Essentially, eating well is about having the right mix of food that your body needs.
So have your burgers and fries alongside your fruit and veg.
Eating a balanced diet with good quality food goes a long way towards preventing some diseases, weight management, and internal organ functioning well.
I’d also add or take the time to learn your body and your stomach. Eat what works for your body and your stomach.
Note – I did not say only eat what works for your appetite and taste preference.
Some things we eat will not be our preferences but our bodies need it.
In addition to the health gains, you’ll also be in a better mood, sleep better, and improve your life.
The health of your gut has a huge impact on your overall health, so start investing in your health.
6. Read Books
I’m a firm believer that investing time in reading books yields the highest rate of returns.
A book that costs £10 can change your life! I find that to be an absolute bargain.
This is easily one of the best ways to invest in yourself.
I aim to read something daily, even if it’s one page or for 10 minutes.
I prefer to read books on personal finance, business, and self-development.
Alongside books from high achievers including athletes, entrepreneurs, politicians, and public figures.
Some benefits to reading books:
- Builds your vocabulary
- Reduces stress
- Gives you a new perspective
- Stimulates your brain
- Pure entertainment
Reading books has certainty shaped by ethos, my values, and my mindset.
To me reading books is like sitting down with the author and learning from them.
Who would you like to sit and learn from?
7. Have Some Me Time
When was the last time you spent some quality time with you?
Giving yourself some self-care and pampering yourself could be the investment that you need.
I’m a big believer in self-care and treating yourself however you should treat yourself wisely.
Take yourself on a trip, explore a new experience, or go for long walks every weekend.
It’s so easy to spend a lot of time and attention on other people learning who they are and what they like that we end up not doing the same for ourselves.
For me the BIGGEST win in spending time with yourself is that you start to be more aware of your inner voice!
Your inner voice doesn’t always shout the loudest but that is the goldmine for your dreams, your desires, and your values.
To have passed through life and never experienced solitude is to have never known oneself. To have never known oneself is to have never known anyone
Joseph Krutch
8. Learn A New Skill
I am an advocate for the growth mindset, which is all about development and progression.
The growth mindset leads to a desire to learn which ultimately leads to higher levels of life achievements.
Learning new skills can benefit all aspects of your life from your personal happiness to your professional development.
Some key timeless skills to learn that will serve you well for a long time:
- Negotiation
- Public speaking
- Meditation
- Cooking
- Organising
- Budgeting
The above skills can be used to enhance your career, improve your family life, or go along way towards your self-improvement.
Investing in yourself may not mean ten per cent growth on the market, but a new skill is highly advantageous.
9. Explore Your Creative Side
When was the last time you took out a blank paper with a pencil and drew something?
Or start writing something down, whether it’s your thoughts on a topic or at least, writing down what your dream life would be?
I feel as though our schooling and work system has caused us to neglect our creative side and view creative expressions as childlike.
I believe that everyone is creative in their own way and that creativity is a form of expression in the same way talking is.
The biggest barrier to creativity is ourselves and the fear of being judged, mocked, or ridiculed.
I say face the fear and do it anyway!
Record yourself talking about your passions on camera. Take some time to build something with cardboard, glue and marker pens.
When you disengage with your creative side you neglect a part of who you are.
You never know, you just may be shocked by what you actually do, if you just try.
10. Get A Coach
Investing in yourself also means getting someone to help you become better.
Getting a coach, mentor, or trainer could be the best thing you’ll ever do.
The purpose of coaching is to empower you to become who you can be and achieve what you’re capable of.
The biggest benefit for you is time! You save time learning how to do something, or how to achieve your goals by getting someone to guide you.
The first way to invest in yourself that I spoke of was setting goals for your future, this is about who can help you get there.
Coaches help you set goals, identify limiting beliefs and facing them, and give you the tools and resources you’ll need on your journey.
The truth is we are heavily influenced by the people around us whether we like it or not, so gather people around you that will empower you.
If you spend time around 5 people who gossip about celebrities and ‘influencers’ that’s what your mindset will be.
Spend time with people who discuss future plans, personal development, and building a life legacy for you and your family, and you’ll start to think like them.
A coach is the best place to start.
Which of the above 10 ways that you can invest in yourself, are you putting into action today?
Save this list and refer back to it for inspiration when you have some extra funds to yourself and want some ideas.
Share this with your friend, family, or partner and encourage them to try some of the above.
Download our Free Financial Health Check to give you a good overview of your financial health.
Let us know how you’re getting along by getting in touch with us, we’d love to hear from you
Knowledge is powerless without action
So take action, and take care
Thando