Why Investing in Yourself is Important

The most priceless investment in your life is you. You are the most important when it comes to putting your health first and then toward what you love to do that yields money. However, for many they place themselves last on the list when it comes to investing time, money, and resources.  


Please make a note and put this on your refrigerator. Investing in yourself is not selfish. In fact, by helping make your life better, you will by default make the lives of everyone else around you better. 


So why is investing in yourself so important? Think about it, besides being the person you have to spend the most time with, you are also the best example of seeing an immediate return on investment. 


When you put your wellness first, you will have more energy to increase production at work thus yielding more revenue. You are able to add more value to others as you invested first in yourself. 


Investing in yourself is never a risk, because it always pays off. Even when you make bad investments it is not really a bad thing when you have learned something from it. Failure is part of success as when you learn something from it and apply corrective action; the results you desired manifest it. 


You gain confidence to come out of your comfort zone often to see sustainable success. Failing to recognise the real value of investing in ourselves can hold us back from reaching our goals, fulfilling our potential and turning our dreams into reality.


Many people live day in and day out, repeating the same routine every day. It’s like we’re a hamster on a spinning wheel doing whatever we can to impress our bosses and get our jobs done so we can get our weekly paycheck. 


Even though investing, in general, can be overwhelming, investing in yourself can be one of the easiest, cheapest, and most rewarding benefits of your time. By starting to make small changes to your lifestyle today, you can create a higher return for your future.


Investing in yourself means putting in the time, money, and energy into improving your current and future life. Instead of focusing on things that will not increase your wealth in the long term, look for ways to expand your knowledge and make your life better. 


When you focus on improving yourself and reaching your goals, you will notice the positive domino effect on your finances, career, health, and happiness. Even though you may not see the impact of your investment right away, investing in yourself can greatly impact your life over time. 


There are many reasons why you should invest in yourself. When you invest in yourself, you gain knowledge and skills that can lower the amount of time you focus on things that are less important to you and more time on things that make you happy. 



Investing in yourself is a sure-fire way to reap a return on investments. Here are great ways you can invest in yourself in the New Year:

why it pays to invest in yourself

Start a side hustle

Do you ever wish that you could turn a hobby into a business? A side hustle is just that. It’s something else you do on top of your full-time job. 


The goal of most side hustles is to supplement your income to pay off debt, save for the future, or upgrade your lifestyle. 


Not only can side hustles provide extra income, they can also be a confidence booster that lifts your overall life satisfaction.

Find a mentor

We could all use a friend to talk to, especially about our finances. Find a financial mentor this year to help you navigate your money, so you can get closer to reaching your financial goals. 

Start a journal

Your journal doesn’t have to solely be focused on money. It’s a great, safe space to reflect, plan, visualize and forgive. 


There are lots of benefits to journaling, like managing stress, identifying issues, and solving problems. It’s also a great place to practice gratitude and set goals.

Practice gratitude

You don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving to be grateful for everything that you have. 


Practice gratitude regularly to help you gain perspective and feel comfortable about where you are at in life. 


You might not be debt-free yet or have enough savings for a down payment, but there are parts about your life that you’re thankful for. 


Whether it’s for your family, friends, pets, hobbies, habits, or coffee, cultivate gratitude for at least one person or thing each week to help keep you motivated.

Break a bad habit

What bad habit do you have that you tell yourself you’ll stop year after year? Whether it’s spending money emotionally, smoking, spending too much time on a device, etc., you have one. We all do! 


Work on finally breaking that bad habit. Make a list in your journal of all the reasons why you want to break this habit and all the steps you’re going to take to finally be rid of it. 


It’ll take time and perseverance, but just think about how good you’ll feel by the end of the year.

Get organized

Do you know where your important papers are? Can you find your SIN card or passport in a pinch? Probably not. 


It’s okay to let yourself off the hook if you answered no to those questions because it’s natural to feel disorganized in a world that is not very organized. 


Take some time to establish an effective organizational system for your finances, office, house, etc. 


Everything should have a place, so when it comes time for tax season, you’re not running around your house looking for everything. 

Procrastinate less

Whether it’s waiting until the last minute to do our taxes, we all procrastinate. But who suffers in the end? We do. 


Make a list of all the things you’ve been procrastinating starting or completing and then devise a plan to get them done. 


Start with the easier tasks first and then tackle the harder ones. It’ll feel good ticking tasks off your to-do list.

Declutter

Cut out the clutter in your life. No, we’re not talking about your paperwork or filing. 


We’re talking about all the things in your life that no longer serve you or that bring you down. 


Go through all the social media accounts you follow and cut them down to only the ones that inspire you, make you laugh, educate you, etc. 


Do the same with the people, items, food, habits, etc. in your life to brighten and lighten your life.

Set boundaries

Do you have a hard time setting boundaries and saying no to others or to yourself? 


Write down all the things you wish you could have said no to and why you didn’t. Analyze that list and reflect on the emotions associated with those regrets. 


Practice saying no. If something truly doesn’t interest you or align with your values or goals, make a commitment to decline. It’ll be hard at first, feeling like you’re letting others down, but it’s so worth it.


Prioritize protecting your time, energy, and money by only saying yes and no to the people and things that make you happy. Setting boundaries will help you prevent burnout, too.

How to invest in yourself 

Set Goals

Writing out goals is one of the easiest ways to start investing in yourself. A set of goals is like a grocery list for your life. It tells you exactly what you need to realize your dreams. 


Start by spending just a few minutes each month mapping out your goals. These goals don’t have to be sweeping, overarching goals like paying off all your debts. 


They can be as simple as setting up auto payments with your financial institution, limiting eating out to only once per month, or updating your resumé. 


Whatever short-term and perhaps long-term goals you choose to focus on this year, make sure they’re obtainable and won’t leave you feeling worse off at the end of the year if you don’t accomplish all of them.

Embrace lifelong learning

Education doesn’t end once you leave the classroom, and you can build your skill set and feed your passions with lifelong learning. 


There’s still so much to learn in this world and there are so many ways to access new information. 


Whether you’d like to learn more about budgeting, paying off debts, planning for retirement or credit, invest in skills that enhance your strengths. 


Your education in yourself is ongoing. Take advantage of various resources and mastermind groups that will develop your skills in areas of your strengths.


Successful people never stop learning. If you stop building your skillset, you’ll be left behind as technology evolves. Thankfully, picking up a new skill is quite straightforward these days. 


There are dozens of online resources available at your fingertips. Learning can mean listening to a podcast, reading a book, watching a YouTube video, or signing up for an online course. 

Get Healthy

Living a healthier lifestyle can help you live a longer life and reduce your future medical bills. 


Maintaining a healthier lifestyle has many benefits: your body will naturally feel better, and you’ll feel less fatigued throughout the day. 


The key is identifying what health routine works best for you. This may involve going for a morning walk or setting up yearly health checkups. Usually exercise and proper eating is the first thing to go when other priorities pop up. 


And being healthy is the best way to insure your other investments in life (like taking care of your family and being productive at work) keep up. 


Investing in your health can be as simple as having a healthy breakfast each morning. It could mean taking walks after dinner or signing up for that personal trainer that you’ve always wanted. 


Do something daily to invest in your health and you’ll be sure to reap wonderful returns.


Make your mental health a priority by checking in with yourself regularly to manage stress levels and prevent burnout. Give yourself permission to take a break, make a mistake and set boundaries. 


Understand that you might not be where you thought you’d be right now (who is?) but that you’ll get there one day.

Invest in your future by being present now daily. 

Having clarity and being laser focused being in the moment is instrumental to making key decisions for investments that will pay off in the future. 


Being present prevents you from making bad decisions stemming from negative emotions.

Make a budget

Chances are, if you haven’t made a budget yet, there’s no better time than the present. Spend a month tracking your finances in a money diary, list your expenses, and then develop a budget that is both attainable and will help you reach your financial goals.


Create a spending plan to track how much you spend, save and invest each month. Some people use an app on their phone; others plug numbers into an Excel spreadsheet. 


Discover what works for you and consistently track your finances. Remember, you control your spending plan. Therefore, you get to decide what you spend your money on.     


Reduce your debt

Debt is destructive. Not only does it weigh down on your relationships, it holds you back from reaching your goals. And the longer you delay paying off your debt, the bigger it grows.


Once you have evaluated your spending plan, calculate how much you need to meet your monthly minimum debt payment and consider how you could use that money elsewhere. 


Getting out of debt can be difficult, but the benefits are well worth it.  

Invest your money

Do you have extra money left over at the end of each month? It’s important to save part of your income to keep up with inflation and accumulate wealth. 


Investing isn’t rocket science; you can keep it as simple as you like. 


For some people, a savings account with an above-average interest rate is enough. For others, venturing out into the stock market makes more sense. 


When starting out, it is crucial not to put all your eggs in one basket and to diversify your exposure to risk. The longer your money is invested, the more it will grow.

Invest in a financial planner 

When searching for a financial planner, look for one who educates and guides you, not one who will make all the decisions for you. Financial planners are experts who can teach you how to budget, pay off debt, and invest your money. 


They can keep you accountable, help you avoid mistakes, and create a path to achieve your goals. What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word “investing”? Probably investing in stocks, real estate, or savings. 


But what about yourself? Whether that’s expanding your knowledge, developing positive new habits while breaking negative ones, or getting your financial and personal affairs organized, it’s your responsibility to give back to yourself before you can give your time and energy to other people and things.

Why investing in yourself is important 

It boosts your confidence

Investing in yourself will boost your confidence in your own abilities and have a positive impact on your self-esteem. 


As well as equipping you with new knowledge and skills, focusing on your personal development will help you get to know yourself better. 


You will become more aware of your unique set of strengths, values and passions and how you can use these to achieve your goals. 


Those who spend 5 hours or more on learning each week are more likely to feel that their lives have purpose and meaning, which in turn increases overall happiness and wellbeing.

It opens up new career opportunities

Taking the time to invest in yourself will bring immense benefits to your career, both in the short and long term. 


You are your greatest asset and, developing your skill-set will boost your market value, whether you are seeking a promotion from your current role or applying for a new job.


Most employers look for candidates who are self-starters and being able to demonstrate motivation and willingness to learn new skills will set you apart from the competition. 


While technical skills and academic qualifications are still important, the top skills that employers are looking for now include creative thinking, communication skills and emotional intelligence.

It helps you build connections

Signing up for a new course, workshop or activity will help you grow your network and meet like-minded people. Over time, these relationships can turn into business opportunities or collaborations. 


As well as investing in yourself, you need to invest in your relationships. Networking is most successful when you approach it with a reciprocal mindset that sees benefits for both parties, rather than just focusing on what’s in it for you.

invest in yourself

It helps you adapt to change

Technology and workplaces are changing faster. Expanding and updating your skill-set will ensure that you are ready to adapt to such changes. 


People with transferable skills are seen as more flexible, motivated and forward-thinking by colleagues and superiors. 


Embracing lifelong learning will help you achieve a growth mindset and build the resilience needed to navigate life’s inevitable challenges and adversities.

It keeps your mind healthy

Continuous learning promotes brain health and lowers your risk of mental health problems, Alzheimer and dementia. 


The mental stimulation provided by challenging yourself to learn new skills can help limit the adverse effects of aging on the memory and mind.


Learning something new reduces work stress more than engaging in relaxing activities such as meditation or exercise. 


While relaxation is beneficial for tackling fatigue and calming the mind, developing new skills in the workplace acts as a buffer against stressful situations.