When you invest in yourself you are doing more than spending time and money. You are putting yourself higher up your priority list. Whether it’s developing yourself personally or professionally, to invest in yourself is likely to be the best investment you make.
I believe that it is important that we look after ourselves before we look after others. I didn’t always see it that way but as I have grown older it just seems like common sense. If we don’t refill our own cups or grow our talents we cannot serve others to the best of our abilities.
Why is investing in yourself is so important
When we take the time (and/or money) to invest in ourselves we share a message. That message is that:
it’s OK to care about yourself; that the value you place on your potential is important enough that you are going to give it time, space and energy to grow.
The even better news is that if you are willing to say yes to yourself, to take that leap of faith and invest in yourself you will see the most amazing results.
Investing in yourself isn’t always about spending money either. Here are 7 ways that you can invest in yourself and change your life:
Set goals
Setting goals give you direction. Personal or professional they help you focus and use your time effectively. Goals need to be specific e.g. I want to reach the position of [X] in the next 5 years through building my network and closing any gaps in my experience/knowledge by saying yes to any opportunity that arises. It is OK to review your goals, in fact, I would recommend it in order to ensure that they are still a priority.
Trust yourself
You can value yourself by trusting your intuition, your gut, whatever you call it. When we tune into ourselves we often find clarity of thoughts. It’s not to say you can’t ask others for advice, but tune in to your feelings, both emotional and physical when you come to make the decision. Remember that your feelings are as valid as anyone else’s.
Make time to be creative
Brené Brown talks about creativity in her book Daring Greatly. Brené says that feelings of fear and shame block our creativity so that we hide in case we are not good enough. I used to think I wasn’t creative as I can’t draw for toffee but then I realised creativity doesn’t equal paintings or drawings. I started writing poetry, I took up quilting and my life was richer for it. I see writing these blogs as an outlet for my creativity too. Find out where you can unleash your creativity; you will find fun, inspiration and increase your ability to see beauty all around you.
Expand your knowledge
I love learning, in fact developing myself and others is one of my values. There are so many ways to learn too, from attending courses or workshops to reading books to watching TED Talks. I like to learn by watching others and listening to their experiences but there are lots of different learning styles. There can also be opportunities to meet other like-minded people.
Understand your value
People who understand their value often have more confidence in what they’re doing for themselves and what they can offer to others. Spend some time reflecting on what you’re good at, what others say you’re good at, what you enjoy doing and what’s important to you. This will give you a better understanding of the value you offer. It has the added bonus of building your confidence as you build your understanding.
Make a choice
We all make choices, whether we make a decision or not, we are choosing. It’s not always about making the best choice but the right one for us based on the information we have at the time. This is part of our mindset – you will have heard the Henry Ford quote –
If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.
So choose to believe in yourself, to back yourself and to know you can.
Invest in a coach
I or another coach of your choosing can help you with all of the above. A coach can support you in creating a plan, they can help unlock those hidden talents and remove the barriers that are stopping you. They are your partner, your cheerleader. It is our job to help you create and implement the strategy to help you grow to your potential and be the best you can be. (And we love doing it!)
That’s a really good list. You don’t often see making time to be creative recommended as a way to invest in yourself but for me it’s really important.
Thank you Helen. I think it’s important for so many people but we often dismiss it as something fun and therefore unproductive…which of course it isn’t!