Written by April Mae Casida (PoP’s Web and Media Assistant)
What comes into your mind when you hear the word “invest’?
The first thing that you’ll think of is money. Well, one way to define the word is to commit (money) to earn a financial return. It is usually associated with businesses, market stocks, real estate, and many more.
But investing is not all about monetary aspects. Investing, in general, is about committing something or into something to gain or achieve a return. The same idea applies to your time, your efforts, and even to yourself.
What does it mean to invest in yourself?
Investing in yourself means doing and putting effort into things that will make you a better individual. I have always believed that everything starts within ourselves.
It takes a lot of learning, practicing, and trying to achieve a goal and an aspiration. And to be able to reach those, we should take time to learn about our well-being. A good start is to ask ourselves -- What does my body feel? What am I feeling lately? What are my goals? What do I need to do?.
Being able to answer these questions will help us to identify what we need to be better at what we do.
Here’s how you can invest in yourself.
You might think that investing in yourself takes a lot of work. You’ll be surprised that it is the simple things that you actually might have been already doing right now that helps you be a better you.
1. Have a healthy lifestyle
You should be in top shape to do the things you need to do. Each one of us has a different body type and needs. You need to eat foods that are good for your health. Try to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep every day. Create exercise routines or get involved in sports. Get that body fueled and moving.
2. Build knowledge by reading educational books, listening to podcasts, and watching videos
Learning is not just done inside the four walls of a classroom. Build your knowledge by reading educational books. There are lots of books to choose from based on your interests, and everything is almost available in digital format so you can read anywhere and anytime you like.
If you are not into reading, you can try listening to podcasts or watching videos. Podcasting is a growing community and is available on different platforms for FREE.
YouTube is also a great place to learn if you’re more into visual learning. With just one click, you’ll be able to search all the ‘How To’ that you need.
3. Develop a routine
Build a routine that will allow you to efficiently work on the tasks that you need to do to achieve your goals. List the things you need to do before you go to bed and block your time for these specific things. It may take some time before the routine turns into a habit. Patience will always be the key.
4. Find a mentor
Some professionals offer coaching services that you may take into consideration. They offer one on one mentorship that will guide you into achieving your goals. But hey! Not only professionals can be your mentor. Sometimes a family member, a friend, an old teacher, or anyone who you find to be relatable can be your mentor.
5. Attend Seminar and Workshops
Expand your knowledge and network by joining seminar workshops. Find an area of interest and search for events near you. Given our current situation, most of these seminars and workshops are available online. Sometimes it’s free, and sometimes it’s not. But money used to invest yourself is not money wasted. If you think it’ll help you grow, go for it.
6. Know your limits and respect them
There will be times wherein we gave our 100% into something, and yet we cannot achieve the results we want. That is okay. Recognize that we have limits, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Remember that it is acceptable to seek help if you feel the need. It won’t make you weak or unaccomplished at any cost. Two heads are better than one.
7. Get rid of toxic people
It is important to surround ourselves with people who will help us grow. If you find someone that negatively affects you in one way or another, it is okay to cut ties with them. We will lose some people along the way but look at the tunnel ahead and believe that the future has something brighter for you.
8. Give yourself a break and choose to be happy
Hey! It’s not all about the schedules, deadlines, and ticking off your to-do list. You deserve to have a break. You need to rest now and then so you won’t feel burned out in the long run. Do what makes you happy. Life is too short to feel miserable.
These are just some of the things I believe each one of us can do to invest in ourselves. There are a lot more ways to be a better version of ourselves. We need to learn how to listen to our mind and our body signals. Others may find this easy, and others may take time. Respect your phase and do the best that you can. We will all get there.