Invest In Yourself

There is never a better time to invest in yourself than today.  Today’s technology allows you to learn skills and knowledge of your choosing.  It allows you to stay connected, not just to your friends, but to a network of people that you can continue to learn from.  Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially and socially are a few ways in which you can invest in yourself. 

Physical Investment

How do you invest in yourself? LeBron James invests $1.5 million on his body every year. I’m not saying you have to spend that kind of money, but the concept is still the same. That money goes into the people he hires such as nutritionalists, chefs, trainers therapists etc and the equipment he buys such as gym equipment and recovery equipment.  LeBron James continues to compete at the highest level possible, even though he is at the age, where athletes begin to decline, especially considering the miles he has already put in. 

How can you invest in your body? Proper nutrition and exercise. Buying the right foods, going to the gym, going for a run and creating your own gym in your home are a few options on how to invest in your body. You can also hire a personal fitness coach or a nutritionist that are available in person and online.

Investing in your body is as simple as buying foods with good ingredients and taking a walk.  There are other ways where you can invest a lot of time and money into your physical self, but don't let that complexity slow you down from making changes today.

When we talk about physical investment, we often consider what is already mentioned, but that isn’t the only investments you can make.  Many times, self-confidence derives from our appearance.  That means proper hygiene and even what we wear.  Yes! What we wear has a direct impact on our behavior.  The process is called enclothed cognition. This is how yoga pants became so popular.  It began to symbolize that women were very active and they made healthy choices in their life because they believed it too. 

Having the right mattress can also be a way to invest in your body. Imagine the effects of getting a great night’s sleep, every single night. I’ve recently listened to a podcast that enlightened me on the importance of sleep and how to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. You can listen to that episode here. 

Mental Development

One of the most important things to me is education. If you’re not learning something new every day, then you have wasted your day. You can learn for free, too. Social media has gotten so big, that you can learn a handful of new things just be going on TikTok and looking for information. You can go on YouTube and watch a video on literally whatever! Podcasts are available at your fingertips! Take a trip to your local library and check out a book, or spend money buying a book.

In the book Limitless, Jim Kwik talks about the importance of developing your brain.  It’s a muscle, and just like your other muscles, it has to continuously be exercised.  One of the best ways to do that is to read daily.  You don’t have to set aside an hour a day like some people, but scheduling 5, 10, 20 minutes to read is better than none at all.  Many people have turned to audio formats; however, physically reading a book can help you digest the information even faster and help develop your brain.

Other options to consider are online courses, webinars and e-books. Some of them cost money; however, there are many that are free.  Do some research and you can find some that provide great value.

Going to college and earning your degree is also an option. You can go to your local community college to take courses or go to an online school. If you are concerned about paying for school consider these two sites: FAFSA, offers Pell grants to help pay for you school and also Peterson's, where you can search for scholarship opportunities. These scholarships can be won by simply submitting an essay, writing a business proposal and more. You can also consider taking CLEP or DANTES tests where you take a test and get credit for taking the course, saving valuable time.  Courses that would normally take you months to complete, can be completed within hours.  This allows you to free up some time for other classes and you can obtain your degree much quicker.  Vocational and trade schools can provide you with specific skill sets, as well.

One option that you may not know about is a site called: Coursera. You can take classes that are taught by Ivy League schools or big companies such as IBM or Google without paying anything. You literally get taught all of this information and you don’t have to pay to learn. The only time you have to pay, is if you want a certificate of completion for the course.

Other investments

One thing that hinders our current education system is our lack of financial education.  Taxes is a common concept that is brought up that people look back and wish they learned at a younger age.  Budgets, retirement funds, savings funds, life insurance are just a few things that we don’t get taught in high school.  Finding ways to learn about these topics can put you significantly ahead of the curve for investing in your adult development.  

Journaling and meditation are two options that can help your mental and emotional health.  I’ve been meditating for a few months and I can already see and feel the benefits.  I am more aware of my emotions in the moment and have better control of them. Jay Shetty says, "the more you mediate, the more aware you become of your inner power, and the less you allow yourself to be affected by stress." 

Bottom Line

Bottom line: There are so many options out there on how you can invest in yourself!

My personal philosophy is maximize your time and develop your skill set. So find something new to learn today. Right now, I’m investing in myself by reading daily and researching ways to improve the mindset.  What are you investing in?