I always say that the best investment that pays the most in the future is investing in yourself.
Investing in yourself simply means making a decision that would improve your life. It could be towards better health whether physical, mental or financial health.
Investing in yourself doesn’t always have to do with monetary gains, it could be gaining new knowledge or skills. These are all worthy investments.
Here are 7 ways on how you can invest in yourself
You can invest in yourself by simply making some significant changes in your daily routine and how you generally live your life.
1. Set Goals, Plan Ahead
If you don’t know it by now, I’m quite a planner. I think that setting goal, planning ahead is a way to invest in yourself. Doing so will help you have a clear view of what you truly want in life.
Take your time to identify a goal and write it down. Then outline some actionable steps that you would take to ensure that goal is achieved.
When setting goals, use the S.M.A.R.T acronym as a guide. This acronym stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
These five key tips make up the ultimate guideline for setting and achieving any goal.
For example, instead of saying I want to have enough savings at the end of the year, write down “I want to save $1000 in 2 months by automating $250/week to my savings account”.
I write down goals for myself this year and I actually decided that I want to start making a monthly reset videos on my Youtube channel to help me be more accountable.
2. Read Books
One of my favorite hobbies is reading books. I learn so much from reading because I get knowledge from experts. I make it a goal to read 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction book each month. Most of my fiction books are related to personal finance or self-development. If I can’t read books, I listen to audiobooks.
Some days, I just love to read for leisure.
According to research conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2017, only 53% of bonafide Americans claim to read books for the fun of it. The remaining percent read books because they have to. Perhaps to study for a test or exam.
Aside from gaining knowledge, reading also has some crucial health benefits. Reading exercises the brain and keeps it healthy.
A study by the Yale University School of Public Health in 2016 revealed that people who read at least 30 minutes per day for several years tend to live longer than people who don’t read at all.
3. Invest in Education
Now that we’re in the topic of gaining knowledge, investing in education is one of the ways you can invest in yourself.
I work in healthcare and I am constantly learning in my job. When I worked as a bedside nurse, investing in a higher education to become a Nurse Practitioner is definitely one of the best decisions I made. I might have spent $40,000 in tuition costs, but I now love my career more than ever. I also make almost 3x as what I was making when I was a nurse.
Investing in education does not also always mean formal education. It could be taking courses, attending conferences to broaden your knowledge. Another opportunity you could get when attending seminars and workshops is networking. You could meet intelligent and successful persons who would contribute to your life, career, or business. You could also connect with a mentor who would help you move to the next level in your field.
3. Manage your Finances
One of the hardest thing to tackle is your finances but getting it in order will give you peace of mind. Knowing what’s coming and out every month financially will help you keep track of finances & budget accordingly.
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You can also have a digital planner to see how much you’re spending each month/year, have saving goals etc.
By doing this, you can eliminate a little bit of the financial stress you deal with daily. You may only want to start a side hustle to bring in more cash flow.
4. Invest in your health
You know the saying “Health is Wealth“, well as someone who works in healthcare, I can tell you that this saying is accurate.
There are so many reasons why but some of them are:
- Increasing costs of health-related expenses/ insurance premiums
- You are more productive and more confident if you’re healthy
- Money can’t buy health ~ take for example, Steve Jobs
When I talk about health, I am not just talking about physical health. I am talking about your well-being including mental health.
Investing in a gym membership, fitness class, healthy-nutritious food and even therapy will definitely pay itself in the future.
5. Build Relationships
It’s better to celebrate your wins, even share your losses with other people. Investing in building and maintaining close relationships in your life is important.
6. Get Creative & Be Open to Opportunities
One of my favorite quotes is “you have to get out of your comfort zone to grow”. You will never know your true potential if you don’t stretch yourself out and be open-minded to opportunities.
3 years into my new grad nurse job, I decided to move out of my hometown and live by myself in a new city where I didn’t know anyone. I mainly moved for personal growth, but realized that moving (although very scary) has really taught me so many lessons in life. Not only that, but I also made more money.
There are so many opportunities out there for self-growth. Take them!
Final Thoughts On Investing In Yourself
We always talk about investing in the stock market or crypto currency ~ even real estate. Anything that can generate money. However, investing in yourself is one of the best investments because it pays the best interest.
What are your ways of investing in yourself?
