As humans, we make decisions on how to invest our time, energy and dollars each and every day. Am I going to attend that party on Saturday night? Do I call my mom to check in? Should I pack a lunch or go out to eat?
These are all investment decisions. The world has a way of forcing us to focus on how we invest outwards. And while investing in the outside world certainly provides a return, sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle and forget to invest in yourself.
So in this article, we’re going to provide the 15 best ways to invest in yourself so you can build a better life and create the best version of yourself. Let’s get right into it.
What Are Some Simple Ways To Invest In Yourself?
Put Yourself First
Always put yourself first and take responsibility for your own life. This is sometimes harder than it seems, especially when you have kids or an elderly family member to take care of. But make no mistake, it is imperative that you put your own well-being first.
You are the only one that can truly look after yourself. And believe it or not, if you’re feeling like you’re in a tough place, you have the power to improve your life. It takes commitment, but when you start to put yourself first, that investment in yourself will start to build momentum which will help you become a better version of yourself.
As you start to grow as an individual, you’re then able to help others and care for the people that need you better than before. As you improve your own life and your own well-being, you will lift up the people around you as well.
Improve Your Skills
Improve. Learn. Grow. It is astonishing to me how many people wake up each morning, drive to a job they hate, suffer through the day, then get home and watch TV or scroll social media until they go to bed, only to get up and do the same thing the next day.
We are capable of so much more! Develop your knowledge and skills. Unlock your creative side. Use that down time to advance your personal ability by learning a new skill that will ultimately help you achieve your goals.
If you’re looking for ideas, think about what you love doing and find a good online course and/or mentor that’s passionate about the subject. As humans, we need this feeling of progress every day, and the commitment to learn a new skill fills this void and is undoubtedly a great investment for your future.
Get Your Finances In Order
How many times have you thought about being financially free? According to CNBC, 63% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Even more feel overwhelmed with financial burden and stress.
Make a point to start spending time planning your financial future. Step 1 is to get out of debt and start saving, so if you don’t already have one, go open a savings account. Once you’re able to start saving some money, the next step is to start investing in income producing assets.
Over time, these assets will grow, and soon enough your assets will begin to pay you, and you’re no longer constrained by a budget.
Start A Side Hustle
You’re one step ahead on this one considering you’re reading the Pursuit of Passive Income blog. A side hustle doesn’t need to consume your life. Find a business model that works for you and spend a hour or two a day building a business for yourself.
The biggest mistake people make when committing to a side hustle is that invest so much time and energy up front to get the business going, that they burn out and give up. Instead, start slow and understand that you must fall in love with the process before you can attain the desired result.
Once you commit to a reasonable growth plan, you can then set goals that are realistic and attainable without driving yourself into a hopeless exhaustion.
Set Goals
This brings us to our next investment, which is to set goals for yourself. If you’re new to goal setting, start with the little things. These small feats will start to add up, and you’ll see and feel the progress we talked about earlier.
If you need some inspiration on where to start, an easy one would be to take 5 minutes out of each morning to think about things you are thankful for. Simple. You can do this in the shower or sitting at the breakfast table.
As you start to understand the power of attaining these goals, you will continue to build your routine and habits in a powerful way. Your future will thank you.
Follow Your Passions
So many people out there lose track of what makes them happy. We need love and passion to make the world go round. Invest in yourself by following the things you are passionate about.
Yes, I understand that your passions will change as you go through life, and that’s ok. That’s part of learning new things, unlocking your creativity and growing as a human being. We need new experiences, new relationships with like minded people, and further education.
We want this progress I keep talking about. So if you’re feeling like you do the same thing every day, commit to something you love. Again, you don’t have to drop everything to chase your passions every day of your life, but work them into your life and experience the benefits.
Build Relationships
Investing in relationships is another way to improve your own sense of self worth and purpose. Pay attention to the people in your life that make you feel better about yourself, and let the people that go that have you wondering why you hang out with them.
The ability to nurture and build a healthy relationship is paramount to our well-being. Our friends help us through hard times and elevate who we are.
Wake Up Early
This is important for a lot of reasons, but getting out of bed each morning sets the tone for your entire day. Think about it, when you wake up late and panic about getting to work on time, you’re behind the rest of the day.
But if you get yourself out of bed, have a cup of coffee and think about what you want to achieve throughout the day, you’re much more connected with what truly matters and can focus on reaching the goals that are important to you. Plus, you’ll have more time in general which will allow you to be more productive in the long term.
Take Care Of Your Physical Health
The most productive people on the planet all say the same thing. Get up and get moving. You must invest in your body and commit to exercise as a way to ensure your health.
This doesn’t need a negative connotation. Get up and go for a walk around the block if you’re not fond of “working out.” Don’t look at it as a chore, understand that it is a commitment to yourself.
This isn’t about building 6-pack abs or trying to get on the cover of a magazine, it is about putting one foot in front of the other and feeling the power that brings in your daily life.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
Most of the items on this list are fairly easy. This one is by far the most difficult. Mental health is in the news a lot these days, and for good reason. It has often been overlooked as something that is severely important to society.
So what does this mean for us as individuals? We must be in touch with how we are feeling, why are feeling a certain way, and how we want to feel. The scope of improving our mental health goes beyond this article, but a great way to get started is to stand up, close your eyes, and take 10 deep breaths in a row.
How are you feeling? I can almost guarantee you feel better than you did a minute ago.
Be Presentable
This one speaks to a couple of different principles to instill in yourself. First, your own self image. When you get up, take a shower, and put on clothes that make you want to go outside you are more comfortable with yourself as a person. Your personal opinion of yourself gets a boost which ultimately helps you navigate the day ahead.
Second, from a professional standpoint, when you invest in your appearance others will take you more seriously as well. This can be anything from investing in a nice outfit for interviews when trying to secure a better job to spending some money at the dentist to straighten your teeth and improve your smile.
In both instances, investing in the way you look and feel can produce dramatic results over time. Don’t be a slouch!
Be Thankful
On the surface, this one seems easy, but a lot of the time it can be hard to take a few minutes each day to reflect and be thankful for all that you have. Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to want more or want things to be better, but don’t overlook what you have.
This is an exercise that pays huge dividends and builds momentum that will help you achieve your goals. Give some recognition to the roof over your head, your ability to just breathe, your energy, your friends, the fact that you’re free, your family, your future, whatever it may be.
It’s easier than ever to forget what you have and put 100% of your focus into chasing whatever it is you’re after, but a few minutes a day to be thankful will help you settle your mind and ultimately power you towards your goals in life.
Prioritize Your Hobbies
Let your passions and pursuits motivate you. Allowing yourself to enjoy some time doing the things you love in life will help your overall productivity. Whether it’s playing tennis, hiking, puzzling, playing video games, knitting, it doesn’t matter.
Allow your brain the opportunity to feel satisfied and free, it’s healthy for who you are as a person. Let your body and self chase the things they like to do. Again, this is an investment in yourself that is so important long term, because if you’re fighting and fighting all day but never allow yourself to enjoy the fruits of your labors, then what’s the point of fighting in the first place?
Always invest some time and energy doing the things you love, even if it’s just spending some time with your family or friends. It will pay off when you refocus on your daily grind.
Organize Your Environment
We all know people that live in a certain degree of filth. This isn’t conducive to being a healthy and productive individual. If your house or workspace is a disaster, clean it up and create a welcoming environment.
For me, I don’t want any loose papers or trash anywhere near me when I’m working. Cleaning up your space can also be a mental trigger. Even if it is just a couple of wrappers on your desk, cleaning everything off can give you clarity and help initiate productivity free of distraction.
So clean up your mess and tweak your environment to help you get in the zone, whether it’s to be more creative, productive, focused, etc.
Never Stop Learning
We talked about learning a new skill early on, but I want to emphasize the importance of pushing yourself forward – pushing yourself to be a better version of you. When you’re sitting on a beach enjoying your retirement, you want to be able to look back and know that you gave it everything, that you took chances to become a better version of you.
As humans, we have it in our nature to want to learn and improve, both as an individual and as a society. We see so many people that go to their job every day and do the same general tasks over and over. The problem? They aren’t improving. They’re stagnant.
We need the opportunity to grow and push ourselves to be better. The reward when you keep trying at something and eventually realize you’re better than you were is so fulfilling. We’re all after progress, and as we get better each and every day, the compounding effect that can have over a year or even ten or twenty years is truly amazing.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to lose sight of who you are supposed to be. We have to make a conscious effort to prioritize ourselves in an effort to maximize our potential and become the person we were put on this planet to be.
To effectively do this, we need to invest in ourselves and ensure we are stimulated each and every day. When we’re chasing our dreams and pursuing our passions, we are better people, not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us as well.
So remember to put your own well-being on notice and pursue the things that make you truly happy. Once you feel like you’re starting to accomplish the things you were meant to do, everything else in life will seamlessly fall into place. It is incredibly rewarding and starts with a commitment to invest in yourself!
