Why it is important to invest in yourself

“The most important investment you will ever make is in You!”

When people think of investment their minds will go straight to shares, hedge funds, property, or business. These are the areas in life that people tend to place real value on when it comes to investing in short-term for long-term gain. The reason generally is, that people value wealth and material possessions above everything else. For many, it’s a way of showing their worth, other people can see how far they have come.

People often crave a sense of security that they feel they can only establish by having money to shore them up for bad times and having material possessions around them as a source of comfort. It is also a way to demonstrate standing in a society that has always valued wealth and success as a barometer of who a person is.

Whilst these may all be valid reasons, and while everybody is entitled to their own opinions and values and should never be judged for them, there is another way of looking at investments, which in some ways is even more important and vital.

That is investing in yourself. I so often say to clients that the most important investment they can ever make is in themselves and below are the reasons why I believe this to be true.

What it means to invest in yourself

You are the only person who is ever really going to invest in you. Yes, there will be people around you who will support you, maybe help you out financially and materially, who will look after you and love and respect you.

You though, are the only person who can invest in you because, without your time and commitment to yourself, the endeavours of other people will be useless.

You could have access to the best personal trainer in the world but it would be a waste if you didn’t put in the time and commitment. You could attend the best university but if you don’t study you won’t get anywhere. You need to put yourself first and make yourself your priority. You need to put in the time, effort, dedication and commitment, that’s what self-investment is all about.

Why you are a good investment.

You are the most important person to invest in and your stock adds greatly to the lives around you. So often though as individuals, we fail to realize how important it is to invest in ourselves and the value that we can get by doing so.

If you think that spending time, money, and effort on yourself is selfish, then you need to re-evaluate your thoughts. Investing in you aids everybody around you. Instead of it being a selfish act, it actually benefits those people that you have contact with.

Only by taking care of yourself can you look after others. Learning to understand that you are as important as everybody else will open your eyes to how investing in you can be a game-changer.

4 Areas of your life that you should invest in

1. Health

   This really is the crucial area that you need to invest in and yet so many people don’t or don’t do enough.

   Think about it, without your health what do you really have? Health gives you so much, the ability to go about your day doing all of the things that you want or need to do.

   Your health gives you freedom, it gives you joy, mobility, a job, prosperity, the ability to travel…….the list is endless. If you think for a moment about how your life would be if you didn’t have good health, it would help you to fully appreciate how much you should be investing in it.

   Making this a priority in life is something that everyone should be doing, don’t put off or prioritize other areas in your life as this investment will keep all the other areas of your life running smoothly.

   This is not just restricted to physical health but also to your mental and emotional health as well. What and how we think, play a vital role in how well we are physically. Good emotional and mental health can ward off many physical ailments and a positive mental attitude can be the key to longevity and well-being. Therefore investing in your health really needs to be of paramount importance.
   

2. Education and Learning

   Many people believe that learning and education finish at school. The truth is though that you should continue to learn and educate yourself every day for you to grow and develop as you get older.

   The thoughts and ideas that you have at the age of 16 or 18 will be completely different from the ones that you have now and this often comes about from learning from new experiences and personal growth. We always need to be learning and educating ourselves move forward and achieve more in our lives.

   Continuing to learn and grow aids the jobs that we do and our communication with others, it touches all areas of our lives. This investment will continue to give us returns.

3. Developing good habits and breaking away from bad habits

   This is an investment that can pay dividends in so many areas of your life. Developing good habits keeps you focused and centred on where you are going in life and who you are becoming.

   Take exercise, for example, this is a good habit to develop and is one that will keep you fit and healthy it will help prevent serious diseases as well as keep your mind fit and healthy.

   Breaking bad habits such as eating the wrong food, smoking or drinking too much will again improve your overall health and well-being. Investing in good habits will become easier the more that you do it.

4. Relationships

We all have many relationships throughout our lives and they are something that we should invest in for many reasons.

Think about all the relationships you have or have had throughout the years, from school friends, to work colleagues, and personal relationships to family, everyone will have taught you something or given you something.

These are the foundations of our lives, helping us to build confidence, get jobs, meet partners, build our own families and secure our futures. These investments will see us through the good and bad times in life. Without relationships, we would be so much poorer in so many ways.

10 Reasons why you should invest in yourself

1. Investing in yourself increases your confidence

   The better you feel about yourself the more confidence you will have and so the more you will be able to progress through life in a positive and meaningful way.

   Investing in yourself demonstrates that you think you are worth it and that you have value in your life.

2. Self-investment can build upon your current strong points

We all have areas in which we excel even if we don’t always admit it to ourselves. When you invest in yourself, these areas are strengthened meaning that you are more likely to achieve good results in your life. Building and investing in your strengths is a huge positive in life and can greatly increase self-esteem and self-confidence.

3. It can give your opportunities to make important connections

When you take the time to invest in yourself, it can bring many opportunities your way. Self-investment will increase your ability to connect to people who can be of real value to you whether this is in a working environment or a social setting.

4. It helps to keep your mind stimulated and in good health

Self-investment is a positive endeavour; any positive action you take in life can only ever be good for you. When you take time to learn, read and study, you are investing in yourself; these habits are good for you mentally.

The brain is like any muscle group in the body, it needs to be used for it to stay in good physical health. Keeping your mind stimulated will be incredibly beneficial as you get older.

5. Self-investment can help you deal with difficult times in the future

There are always going to be good and bad times, and that is an absolute certainty in life. When we are in the good times we generally don’t tend to think about our mental state. When times are bad though, the people who have invested in themselves will be far more ready and able to deal with the difficult times.

This is because they will have invested time and effort in looking after their mental health and well-being and so will be far greater equipped to deal with what life throws at them than those who haven’t invested anything in themselves.

6. Investing in yourself can keep you flexible and adaptable

We all know someone who seems able to deal with the ups and downs of life without going under. The sort of people who never seem to crumble no matter what life has dealt them.

These will be people who have invested in themselves, who will have seen the viability of looking after their mental well-being.

Self-investment will mean that you will be able to adapt and be more flexible with whatever life throws at you. You will have the mental fortitude to be able to handle any changes and obstacles that come your way.

7. Self-investment offers potential for career advancement

If you are looking to make some career advancements then a great place to start is by investing in yourself. Think about studying in your chosen field, taking some further or higher qualifications or studying with online courses.

Learning a new skill set or developing your soft or hard skills can always help in your career as well as learning a new language. The more investment that you place in yourself, the more you will be able to climb the career ladder.

Make sure you invest in tools such as laptops, computers, phones, and anything that is going to help you to succeed in the workplace.

8. Self-investment can help you reach your goals faster

If you want to fast-track through life, then you really need to invest in yourself. Goals that you set yourself will always be achieved far quicker if you make yourself a priority and really plough time, energy and resources into you.

Think of yourself as a business, the more investment a business has, the better it becomes and the more likely it is to reach goals. Have the same mindset for yourself and you will see your goals being reached faster than you can imagine.

9. It can help you keep up to date with the latest advancements in your field

If you work in a field that is continually growing, updating and changing, then you really need to invest in yourself to keep up.

It could be that you need to keep up to date with the latest technology or the latest commercial trends. You may need to take further qualifications or courses to stay ahead.

Always see these investments in yourself as worthwhile and profitable.

10. Investing in yourself keeps you firmly focused on your most important goal

When you make yourself a priority in your life then you are going to be focused on your goals and ambitions and will go for them regardless of any obstacles thrown in your path.

Self-investment keeps you tenacious, it keeps you focused on what you want and what is important to you.

Final Thoughts

When you adopt the attitude that the most important investment you will ever make is in yourself, then you will begin to make yourself a priority in your life and you will begin to see opportunities happen and goals reached.

Following the above tips can help you to invest in yourself. You just need to make the decision and go for it.

If you would love to invest more in yourself but are unsure about how to go about it, where to start, what direction to take, or you need confidence-building skills then working with a life coach can really set you in the right direction. The investment that you can make with a Coach can set you up for life. Ultimately You are the most important investment you will ever make

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