You’re Not Growing if You’re Not Investing in Yourself
What does investing in yourself really mean? Does it mean spending more money than you have on something that will provide value, or can it simply be practicing small acts of self-care? I'm here to talk about how it can look like both, and that investing (however big or small) is key to seeing growth in our lives and striving towards the things that make us eager to achieve.
Without investing in ourselves, we will not see growth and we will stay in the same exact place, making the same exact mistakes and constantly putting our best life on the backburner. We will stay stagnant. Some people will reason with themselves that that's OK - you are not mediocre, and it is NOT OK. If you don't want to grow, if you don't want to learn, if you don't want to better yourself and uplift those around you then that's you, but I know majority of people who are ready to level up in life and live it to its max because there is always something better. If we aren't looking to improve our lives then why do we want to have better relationships, improve our health and increase the amount of money in our pockets?
All of this we want but in doing so we have to better ourselves. It is when we become better versions of ourselves, we help to heal and uplift others around us and make the world a better place.
This is why this blog post is going to focus on the importance of investing in ourselves. What that looks like, why it's important and how it looked like for me. At the end of the day if I don't invest in myself, a holistic wealth coach by consistently learning and educating on finance or hiring a business coach to help me grow my business - I wouldn't be where I am today and I wouldn't be able to help the clients who so desperately need my help. My mission is to make better versions of other people through helping them how to manage their finances, invest and build wealth and it took me betting on myself consistently time and time again, to see the results and be where I am now.
Let's break down the 4 different areas of self-investment:
1. Personal Development
How are you learning? How are you acquiring knowledge every day? There is something out there for you to learn and to apply so you can improve the quality of your life. Learning can look like courses, whether online through private mentorships or through institutions like a school. Plenty of people complete a masters or PhD, just to become more knowledgeable about a particular subject that they enjoy and find immense pleasure in understanding. And of course, social media has become a breeding ground for knowledge and education all for the price of free! Instagram, Facebook and Youtube are powerhouses for teaching people valuable information and providing great educational content on a plethora of different topics.
Books are a huge personal development resource for me. I know there are a lot of people who don't like reading books and that's fine, but I feel like you need to be learning in some way whether that's through audio, visual or hands-on ways. If you don't like reading, there are podcasts and online workshops that teach people very specific skills. A lot of the stuff that I've learned in my life has come from books. My first book was Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and that literally changed my whole perspective on how I saw money, and how money was going to operate and look in my life, moving forward. I read it knowing I was no longer going to be a slave to money, and that I was no longer going to be a slave to the system. It's because of this book that I am where I am today.
Joining social communities is especially important in this peak age of social media. Social media platforms have created the biggest space for us to learn. For example a new app that's been on a buzz lately is clubhouse. Clubhouse is a drop-in audio platform that allows you to create rooms and have discussions amongst people you've never met before. People have been using it as a space to learn, network and communicate with others on a global scale - but it's also invite only. It is a great space to go and join conversations live as you can literally raise your hand contribute to the discussion and ask questions.
I'm a part of a lot of spiritual wellness communities, like Holisticism and The Morning Magic Collective, and these spaces are for women who are starting or are growing their intuitive businesses. I immerse myself in those communities because they align with part of my identity and values, allowing me to join a space where I can continue to learn amongst women who are in similar positions or greater than me. I honestly would not have become a wealth coach today, if it weren't for some of these communities giving me the inspiration and encouragement to keep going.
One last form of personal development that is often overlooked is coaching or finding a mentor. A lot of people think of coaching like the personal trainer at a gym that's helping you to lose weight or become fit. Did you know you could hire a coach for any area of your life? We have health coaches, dating coaches, life coaches, parenting coaches, healing coaches etc. You can literally find a coach now for any and anything. If there's any area of your life that you are struggling with there is someone out there to help you - and the beauty in it is that they are experts in that field and are exactly where you wish to be. They can help you fast track your success, instead of having to do it on your own.
I always say the best growth is growing with other people. It's your easiest way towards achieving personal success. That's why I have a membership community that women can join in order to have that additional support in regard to their finances, because it's sometimes very hard to do things on our own. Sometimes things come up, we're distracted, it's pretty hard to hold ourselves accountable consistently every day.
2. Health
How are you investing in your health, both mentally and physically? What foods are you consuming and are they nutritious to your body? Are you exercising? Are you getting some movement in daily? In 2020, I definitely put my health on the back burner. My diet was “whatever food is near me I am going to eat it, good or bad”. It's something that I'm really looking to change for 2021 because I know that when I eat good foods, I’m talking plant based and nutrient dense/rich foods I feel better and show up as my best self. My thoughts are clearer and I’m even more creative. What I eat not only fuels me but fuels my brain and helps me to make better decisions throughout my day.
Your health ties into money because what's the point of having money if you're not around to see the wealth you've built? So, maintaining an optimal level of health and mental health is equally as important as earning returns on your investments.
Even when it comes to making financial decisions, it's important to regularly learn how to manage your emotions. Too much of the time we make decisions out of anxiety, stress and doubt which throw us into a cycle of poor financial situations.
3. Spiritual
This is why the name of my company is holistic bucks, I'm all about looking at things from a holistic perspective. If you aren't able to incorporate a spiritual perspective into your overall quality of life, if you don't have some kind of faith in yourself or your ability to achieve certain things - you will fall short every single time. I'm not saying you have to believe in a God, you can be an atheist and still have faith. Faith is not about believing in some super higher power; it's about believing in yourself to continue despite adversity. It's that inner voice that pushes you to keep going, that inner voice that knows better than your brains limiting beliefs and doubts. It's knowing that we are safe and at peace, because we decide to be.
Life gives us a lot of lessons and we want to make sure that we're able to see them through, and in order to do that we have to believe that there is a higher power, whether that's in ourselves, or someone above that is guiding us. I truly believe that none of us are here by mistake, that we all fulfill some greater purpose - whether we like to believe it or not. The more we come to understand who we are, and what we are here to do the more we can figure out what is right and continue to help heal and shift this world.
4. Social
How are you investing in your social networks? I've heard this quote from a good friend of mine, and it's that "your network is your network". Powerful, isn't it? Who you surround yourself with, is where you are going to go in life. So, especially when we're talking about money, what are the conversations that you're having around money? Are there people in your life that are holding you back? Are there people that are taking from you? Consistently asking for your money to the point where you yourself can't progress? Are you in spaces where people are talking about investing and building wealth?
If not, then you need to find and be in those spaces, as soon as you possibly can. We need to continue learning and educating ourselves and immersing ourselves in environments that bring us closer to our goals. It is key to help us in terms of how we approach our finances, and how successful we are at achieving it. Whatever goals that we're working towards, we must be mindful to make sure that they are not done in vain or to boost appearances. Making sure that it's not just looking at the financial aspect of investing in yourself but also how we invest in other areas of our personal lives.
How consistently investing in myself has changed my life
I started stock market investing back in 2017, but before I started investing, I actually had a huge spiritual awakening. The great awakening of awakenings that, shed light on each area of my life all at once. Through this awakening I gained a better insight as to the type of person I wanted to be. I wanted to live my life with more meaning and purpose. I wanted to call in only the best that life had to offer and in order to do that I was going to have to start making some changes. No more excuses, just doing.
I started being more mindful of my relationships I was having. If someone was toxic to my life or bringing me down, I got rid of them. I started to love myself in ways, I never realized I lack the ability to do before. I started admiring traits about myself, my strengths instead of weaknesses and improved my self-esteem and confidence. I started to eat better by shifting to veganism and eating more plant-based foods. I joined a gym and started exercising more than three times a week. I began meditating and practicing mindfulness as a way to manage my emotions. Everything started to come together and as I improved on myself, bit by bit the overall quality of my life started to improve. Then last but not least, I cleared enough space to start tackling my money.
So, with all that being said I really challenge you today. Ask yourself, how are you investing in yourself? Are you willing to make both those big and small changes to improve the overall quality of your life? And what does that look like? Nothing is ever too much of an investment if it's of great value to you. If being around for the next 40 years to enjoy your retirement and spending time with your grandkids is important to you, then optimal health is an area of your life to pay more attention to. I always tell people maybe it's going to therapy and there are traumas you need to heal from, that are holding you back from calling in meaningful relationships.
Whatever it is you need to do, don't let your fear ring greater than your truth. Investing in yourself, is the best investment you'll ever make in this one life you've got to live.
If you want to learn more about how to shift your mindset around money and how to start investing in yourself by finally making changes to your finances today, grab a copy of my free e-book Master Your Money Mindset: A 3 Step Guide to Attracting Abundance. Just click this link here and invest in yourself today!