Investing in Yourself is Always a Great Investment

According to the dictionary, invest means “to spend (time, effort, money, etc.) with the expectation of some satisfaction”. So, investing doesn’t only have to do with money.

Consider “investing in yourself ” to mean spending some time and effort on yourself with the anticipation of developing skills that make you feel more prepared to succeed in whatever activities you do.

So, what can you invest in outside of the financial world?

Investing in Your Future Career

Investing in yourself at an early age in life will prepare you for business. As you enter the business world, people are going to pay you for doing a job. The more you invest in yourself now to prepare yourself, the more marketable you will be – meaning you will be more likely to get a great job. So, if you are interested in a certain career, start now getting to know all about it. Do you want to be a chef one day? Start cooking meals at home and create your own recipes. Get a job at a restaurant and learn the ins and out of a well-run kitchen. Educate yourself as much as you can with videos, books, and podcasts about the industry you are considering. Find a mentor who is already in that field and ask if he/she would be interested in meeting once a week or once a month to help teach and guide you.

Investing Your Time Wisely

It is sad but true that we all have a limited amount of time in this world. Deciding how we’ll spend it should be important to us. Keeping your head buried in a smart phone or tablet instead of spending time with friends and family? Laying around the house bored on the weekends? Think about volunteering at a local animal shelter or food bank.

Investing in Knowledge

Education is one of the biggest investments you will make. School is a major commitment of time and energy. Consider if you are using your school time wisely and getting the most out of the time spent. Then moving forward in your education, look for other ways to learn. Maybe take a class outside of school or a trip to a culture you know nothing about.

Investing in Joy

People rarely stop and ask themselves if they are truly happy. Are you? What kinds of things make you joyful? Are they only things that your family or friends want to do? Finding your own joy is important to your mental health. If you like horseback riding, see if there are stables nearby who offer lessons. Not allowed to have a cat at home? Volunteer in the kitten rooms at the local shelters to help socialize them for adoption. Taking an inventory of what in your life brings you joy and what doesn’t should be at least a yearly task.

When it comes to investing in yourself, the life skills you develop and the experiences you gain will help you succeed in all areas of your life. So, ask yourself a simple question whenever you consider spending your time and money – what will this do for my development? If you start making decisions based on that, your investment world (and personal world) will be a wonderful place.

“There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself. It is the best investment you can make; you can never go wrong with it. It is the true way to improve yourself to be the best version of you and lets you be able to best serve those around you.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart