7 reasons you should invest in yourself and ways to do it

What comes to your mind when you hear "invest in yourself"?If my guess is correct, your current notion of personal investment or how to invest in yourself is acquiring properties and improving your finance. Investing in yourself goes way beyond money and acquiring physical assets, as these are not the only things to invest in. 

The adage, "the best investment you can make is in yourself," could not be truer because investing in yourself lives with you till death and outlives you. Instead, investing in yourself is about making a personal determination and conscious efforts to improve all aspects of your life, including finance, knowledge, Health, career, relationship, etc. By developing yourself, you become a better version of yourself, making you more valuable to yourself, the people around you, and the entire society. 

In his guide, Workee experts will discuss ways you can invest yourself for self-development and

What “investing in yourself” means

Investing in yourself means putting the time, money, and energy into positively shaping your present and future life. It means consciously changing or modifying your life goals, desires, objectives, and actions to become a better you.

Investment in yourself means following a thoughtfully designed procedure to change or improve your life and get a better result in whatever you do. To invest in yourself, you must seriously upgrade your current standard. Also, you may have to abandon your old ways and start something new. Self-development can be stressful and unappealing initially and may require financial and time expenses. Still, it comes with excellent long-term benefits. Before I discuss how to invest in yourself, let me share with you the benefits of self-development or why you should invest in yourself.

Why it is important to invest in yourself 

The best investment is in yourself; when you invest in yourself, you become an asset for yourself and others. Investment in self has great rewards in the interim and the long run. 

Below are some prominent reasons to invest in yourself:

1. Investing in yourself improves your objectives in life

2. Investing in yourself makes you distinguish the truth from falsehood. 

3. Investing in yourself helps you acquire more knowledge and skills to create solutions that solve societal problems. 

4. Investment in self builds self-confidence.

5. It can enhance your income and make you wealthy.

6. It helps you maximize your time and do things essential for personal and group development. 

7. Personal development and investment into self widen one’s perspective on life. 

What are ways to invest in yourself? 

Many people think investing in yourself means improving your financial life alone. Well, that's a skewed way of understanding personal investment, for it goes beyond finance. Personal investment also includes investing in other vital aspects of life like knowledge, Health, relationships, hobbies, interests, etc.

The different aspects of self-development you should consider including finance, are:

• Knowledge: Ways to invest in knowledge includes reading books, enrolling in courses, attending conferences/seminars/workshops, and undergoing tutorship and mentorship, to mention but a few. Investing in education and training opportunities to gain knowledge has immediate and long-term wards. In the words of one of America's political founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Thus, by investing in knowledge, you become a better person, can create better solutions, help more people, and significantly boost your income. 

• Physical fitness: this entails committing to your physical fitness via regular exercise. Investment in yourself by exercising will make you physically fit, make you stronger, lower your risk of developing certain illnesses, and improve your general well-being. You can enroll in a gym or hire a personal fitness coach/trainer to do this. Alternatively, you can self-train by following tutorials on YouTube and social media.

• Mental Health: investing in yourself by improving your mental well-being involves seeking therapy or counseling to get through difficulties and enhance your general quality of life. It also involves staying around people with a positive and progressive mindset, reading quality books that improve your general well-being, and living in a quality environment.

• Building Connections: this involves networking with others who share your interests and positive values. Expanding your network can open new doors for your well-being and career development. 

• Investing in Travel and Adventure: is a conscious effort to learn and experience new cultures and places. Investment in yourself by traveling and going on tours and adventures can help you widen your views about life, help you develop fresh ideas, and deepen your understanding of other people and cultures. According to recent data by UNWTO, more than 900 million people will travel internationally in 2022. This shows that many people take investing in travel and tourism very seriously and are ready to spend to fulfill this desire. Hence, you should also consider investing in travel and tourism to reap the many benefits that come with it, just like millions of people across the globe. 

• Hobbies and Interests: Trying out new hobbies and interests may broaden your horizons, help you find new abilities, and make you creative and mentally sound. 

• Finance/Entrepreneurship: this involves starting up your own company or engaging in entrepreneurial pursuit(s) that you love. This also entails learning new skills, challenging tasks, and taking risks. It is a form of personal investment that is time-demanding and requires lots of commitment to succeed but brings great long-term rewards.

In trying to invest in yourself, timing is essential to achieve good results. In the words of the famous Indian lawyer Mahatma Gandhi, "Your future depends on the decisions you make today." Hence, you will get your expected results on time if you begin early. The early I mean is "Now."

However, understand that success in personal development efforts lies in an individual's goals/objectives/aspirations and circumstances surrounding a person. Also, before devoting your time, money, and effort to any aspect of your personal development, check the possible advantages and disadvantages.

7 best paths to invest for personal growth

The following are the best ways to invest in yourself:

1. Invest in learning 

Learning doesn't end outside the classroom. You can develop your skill set and feed your passions with continuous learning. There are countless things to learn today and many ways to learn. You can continue learning by using online resources(courses, podcasts, and live training) to improve yourself. Alternatively, you can enroll in a physical or online school and learn what you love or are interested in.

Pros 

• Learning, especially using online resources, can be very flexible and easy to do. You can arrange your study to suit your schedules, work, and other aspects of your life.

• It can be remote: with the internet, you can learn anything without being physically present with the tutor.

2. Invest in your retirement

One day you will retire from active service. So, you should save up some money for your retirement early to avoid issues in the future. What you should do is start a retirement fund. The earlier you do this, the better, as your retirement funds will be determined by how much you’ve been saving over the years. You can use tools like a retirement savings calculator to help you calculate how much you should save to reach your retirement targets.

Pros 

• The income tax you pay becomes lesser. 

• You get entitled to more legal protection. 

3. Develop financial goals

You can have either long-term or short-term financial goals. An example of a long-term financial goal is saving for long-term or futuristic projects like childbirth, an upcoming trip, education, etc. An example of a short-term financial goal is saving money to buy a new dress, pay electricity bills, or buy groceries. 

Setting and achieving financial goals can be challenging at first but pays nice dividends in the long term. You can start by making a monthly grocery budget, setting up an emergency fund, saving for a house, or saving to assist your loved ones in paying bills, school fees, rent, etc. 

Pros 

• It helps you stay in control of your finances and expenditures. 

• It makes you prepared for unforeseen situations. 

4. Invest in your Health

The human body requires fuel (nutritious food) to function correctly. Eating healthy meals can keep you healthy and strong to carry out your daily tasks efficiently. Eating quality food also helps the brain and mind to work optimally and enhance the quality of your life. 

The following are some ways to invest in your Health:

1. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake.

2. Drink enough water daily. 

3. Take supplements; they increase the level and quality of vitamins and minerals in your body. 

Pros 

• It provides all the energy you need to keep going throughout the day. 

• Provides nutrients for body growth, body repair, and healthy living.

• Cause fatigue.

• Extreme cravings.

5. Exercise frequently 

Lack of quality or improper exercise often has adverse health implications. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that people who don't stay active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to busy people. Hence, you should invest in exercising and avoid staying in one place for too long to prevent health challenges like diabetes, obesity, depression, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders. This reiterates the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle and exercising regularly. There are different ways to stay active. You could go on walks, take stretch pauses regularly, especially after sitting for a long time, do yoga, do cardio, pilates, or do weight workouts. Or even consider more fun approaches like dance classes, etc.

Pros 

• Enhances mental and physical Health.

• Reduces the risk of illness.

6. Improve your skills 

The labor market continues to evolve with new technologies and concepts. The skills gap is among the most significant challenges hiring managers face today. Most managers fire people who lack the required skill and employ new staff with the relevant skill. To remain relevant in the marketplace, you must learn the relevant skills needed in your field. Also, you must know and adapt to the latest technologies required and used in your career.

Some of the critical high-in-demand skills you should also learn besides the technical skills for your work include:

1. Digital Skills.

2. Soft Skill.

3. Analytic Skill.

4. Leadership Skills.

Pros 

• Honing your skill makes you stand out in the world of work. 

• Having the latest and relevant skills make you suitable in the workplace.

• You are always sure to get jobs.

• You are well-equipped to handle new challenges, workloads, and prospects.  

7. Invest in your relationships 

After attaining outstanding success in other facets of your life, it would still be boring without the people you love around you. This is why you should invest in relationships to make the people in your life feel loved and cared for. Ways to do this include cooking meals, going on trips and vacations together, hiking together, playing games over video chats, and playing fun family games in person. These activities help bond the family, improve friendships, and reduce heartbreak. 

Pros 

• You get to learn more about the people you love. 

• Investing in relationships earns you more loyalty.

• You become more accountable. 

With these, you now know how to invest in yourself and the pros and cons of each form of investment. 

Conclusion 

Investing in yourself considerably modifies your life, well-being, and ability to function optimally. Investing in your mind and body help shape how you relate with the outside world. It gives you a broader and better view of people, life, cultures, and values. As the American journalist and medical practitioner Robert Arnot said, "In Investing, absolutely nothing is comfortable. Anything comfortable is rarely profitable". Hence, although investment in yourself might be stressful, costly, or time-consuming, it is highly gratifying. The results of personal development don't show overnight. So, if you don't see the results of your investment immediately, don't fret. Give it time, and be patient; the results will surely come. So, invest in yourself now to take charge of your future. I wish you the best of luck as you kick-start the process of self-investment today.