Today we are going to talk about the different ways to invest in yourself, change your attitude and spend some time, thoughts, and (not so much) money on creating your happiness.
I’ve always believed that investing in myself is the one thing that gets me one step further on the journey of improving my life.
And I’ve got 50 different ways to invest in your future best self.
I’ve spread them into five different categories:
- Physical Health
- Mental Health
- Relationship Success
- Work and Goals
- Personal Growth
When people ask, “How can I invest in myself?” they usually mean money. Read the next paragraph to know why this is so wrong.
What Does It Mean To Invest In Yourself?
Let me start by assuring you – not all of the ideas require you to take money out of your pocket.
In fact, investing your time, your beliefs, and your determination in certain things in life are far more important than investing money.
You don’t need to be rich to invest in a better self.
In that case, what does it mean to invest in yourself? What are you investing in and how?
In most cases, the thing you will invest the most and you can never take back is going to be your time.
Sadly, watching TV shows, reading books we don’t enjoy, and spending our weekends with people we don’t feel comfortable around are all activities we waste time on. Time we will never get back.
Therefore, investing time in yourself wisely is going to be your biggest task.
You could invest time in yourself by reading books that will give you knowledge and inspiration. You also invest in taking classes that teach you new skills. Investing in yourself means saying “No” to people, events, and anything else that pulls you away from your personal growth.
Investing in yourself could mean saving in a better way so you afford new education or put the saved money into a new business idea.
Another way you invest in yourself is through your thoughts and energy. Both things are a crucial part of building your better self and shaping your own understanding of the world in a different way.
Invest in life. Invest in YOUR life.
Let’s dive in.
Ways to invest in yourself- Physical Health
1. Cook healthy foods
Cooking healthy has become a luxury nowadays. After a long day at work, all you want is to get the fastest food option around you and crawl to the sofa.
But that’s not how you keep a healthy body.
Invest time in yourself – choose to spend half an hour preparing something delicious and healthy. The satisfaction of your extra effort will make you feel so much better than getting that pizza on your way from work.
2. Eat regularly
Another investment we stopped doing a long time ago.
Eating regularly isn’t a priority nowadays. But ensuring your body gets healthy, nutritious food three times a day with fruit snacks in between is the best investment ever. See if this gorgeous meal planner bundle could help you in staying focused on your health.
3. Exercise
When was the last time you went to the gym and used that subscription you made at the beginning of the year?
There are countless ways to invest time and energy in exercise. You could go swimming, walking, doing aerobics, yoga, pilates, Zumba, and so on. There’s a sport for you to enjoy. You just need to find it and fall in love with it.
4. Practice self-care
I am glad that more and more people have talked about self-care and self-nourishment lately. Self-care makes you feel relaxed and ready to conquer the world in front of you. Here are some gorgeous ways to distress and look after yourself a little more.
5. Create good daily habits
As Og Mandino says, we are slaves of our habits, and if that’s true, we must choose the right habits to serve. These habits will actually serve us in the long run as they will determine our course in life.
So revise your goals and implement some good daily habits to serve them.
6. Improve your sleep
Screen time has robbed us of good sleep for many years now. We stay up late and can’t fall asleep because of the amount of information we keep stuffing ourselves with.
There’s no time to unwind because we feel like staying on our phones is our reward for going to work, cooking healthy meals, and going to the gym.
In fact, our phones distract us on a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 300 times daily; the blue light keeps us hooked to the screen, and all that makes us unproductive and simply exhausted.
And while walking through our days wondering why we feel tired all the time, we forget that a good night of sleep is just one button away. Press it.
7. Walk around during your lunch break
Here’s a good idea everybody knows about, and yet, nobody does.
I’ll give you another reason to go out more often during your lunch break.
It’s vitamin D. Over 60% of the population of the US has vitamin D deficiency. As scientists say, we need to spend 2 hours daily outside with 40% of our skin exposed to the sun, so we get our daily dose of Vitamin D.
So, if you don’t spend two hours outside daily, you are most likely to be deficient in vitamin D. I was until recently, and with the help of vitamin D supplements and a daily walk outside, I got back in the norm after two months.
Normal levels of this vitamin will reduce your stress levels, it will help you feel more energized every day, improves the health of your bones, and it could actually reduce the risk of developing cancer.
Go outside more often.
8. Detox yourself
We are continually intoxicating ourselves. It comes from the products we clean with, the creams and lotions we use every day, the plastic bottles and containers we keep food and liquids in, and very often – from the food we eat (like it or not).
Therefore, detoxication must be your priority at all times. Drink more detoxicating teas and eat food that helps you detoxicate your body, so you can improve your metabolism and be healthier. See my picks of detox drinks for you to try.
9. Do one good thing for your physical health every day
To track my work and lifestyle, I use a bullet journal. It helps me choose my focus for each month and log my personal success in it every day.
Recently I created a new page that says “What did I do for myself today?”. In it, I literally just draw 31 lines (the days of the month), and every day I use it to remind myself that I need to do something good for my health.
No matter if you have a bullet journal, a standard journal, a gratitude journal, or just a simple to-do list. Just find a way to stay focused on improving yourself daily. I would also suggest you think of keeping a Happiness Journal too.
10. Reflect on your lifestyle and evaluate it
One of the best ways to invest in yourself is to start by evaluating your life. Are you on the right path? Are your actions leading you in the desired direction? If not, what should change? How to make that change?
Mental Health
11. Pray more
Spirituality is one of the essential daily actions we should take. Spend time by yourself reflecting on your spiritual path, ask for guidance, express gratitude, and pray more.
12. Meditate
Another step on your spiritual path. Meditation has proven to be beneficial for reducing stress, finding focus in life, improving mental health, reducing anxiety and depression, and much more.
Do you have 5 minutes every day to invest in yourself? Choose meditation.
13. Start gratitude or a mental health journal
You might not know, but I’ve got another blog too, and the thing I keep talking about there, is the thing I keep mentioning here, too – gratitude.
So, start a gratitude journal and record the good things in life.
If you already have such, add a mental health journal to it. Amber from ShineSheets has the most stunning mental health bundle I’ve stumbled upon so far, check it out here.
14. Do at least one act of kindness daily
The world is already filled with enough hatred and misery. Instead of ignoring all that, do one act of kindness daily.
What is it going to be? Give a blanket or food to a homeless person, find a home for a puppy from the animal shelter near you, make the cashier in the supermarket smile, let the mother with two kids in front of you in the queue in the shop…
Do something nice for someone.
15. Have a mood tracker, sleep, and stress tracker
Is there a connection between your sleep pattern, mood, and stress level? Of course, there is. But the best way to see it for yourself is if you track it. Here are some great trackers that will help you find out how your sleep affects your mood.
16. Make peace with the things you need to let go of
There are many things you could invest in. But you should also consider the things you must stop investing in.
And the surprising thing is, you don’t invest money in these things, but something much more precious and non-refundable – your time, your thoughts, and your energy. Let people go. Let things go. Let regrets go. Let everything that doesn’t serve you well go.
17. Practice more self-love
- Soaking your feet in warm water;
- Lighting up that aroma candle you have since Christmas;
- Reading the book, you keep on your nightstand;
- Spending some quality time alone;
- Saying no when you want to say it;
- Taking risks:
- Laughing more;
All that is self-love, and it’s time for you to practice it daily.
18. Use positive affirmation every day
If you’re looking for ways to stay on the bright side of life, start by using daily affirmations.
You could create them by yourself, and in this way, they will be precisely what you need.
Alternatively, you could also take a look at some of Luise Hay’s affirmations as they have proven to be extremely powerful and meaningful over the years.
19. Dream more
People usually say that we shouldn’t fly in the skies and that we should have goals instead of dreams. And I agree with it but only to some extent.
I believe that dreams exist so they can show us the world we can create for ourselves. Every path, every goal, every action plan, and every step we take was once a dream we wished to fulfill.
Dream more. And then invest in your dreams.
20. Find happiness where you are
Instead of searching for ways to create a happy future, see your happiness today. It’s exactly where you are, waiting for you to notice it.
Relationships Success
21. Be mindful when having a conversation with your loved one
Have you ever noticed that while your loved one is talking, you are already thinking of your answer? Why? Instead, invest your attention in the conversation; you have time to answer afterward.
22. Make time to socialize
Socializing is an important part of life. Nobody wants to be alone, so start by investing time to create friendships, connections, and relationships with other people.
23. Spend quality time together
When was the last time you spent quality time together with your partner? When was the last time you went out, and that didn’t include grocery shopping? Learn how to spend quality time together, go to watch a movie, walk after work, enjoy a picnic in the park, drive to a nearby city and explore it. Do something together.
24. Call your parents often
Should I say more about that?
25. Get your loved one a cute gift
We all love to be spoiled every now and then. Get your loved one a gift – something small but meaningful to them or something they’ve wanted for a long time. Surprise them without reason. They’ll remember it.
26. Try to get to know your loved one all over again
We usually act like we know the people around us too well, and they can’t surprise us anymore. But we also forget that we change. People around us change, too — all the time.
I like to imagine I have to get to know my partner all over again. I ask him questions I’ve never asked him before or at least I don’t remember asking. I listen to the answers and dive even deeper into getting to know him. It’s a wonderful way to get the spark burning again between you two. Try it.
27. Say “I love you” more often
One of the things we forget to say after a while is the simple words “I love you.” Try to say it more often from now on.
But don’t just type it at the end of your message or shout it out the door while leaving for work. Look your loved one in the eyes and really mean every letter. Think of what you love about him the most and let it bring sparkles to your eyes. Look at him and actually feel the love burning in your chest.
Say, “I love you!”
28. Hug the people you love for longer
Another beautiful way to invest in improving your relationships with people you love is by simply hugging them. It’s proven that a hug that’s longer than 10 seconds reduces stress and increases overall satisfaction in life.
Hug your people for longer.
29. Send your loved one an encouraging message every day
If the only type of messages you keep sending to your loved one consists of grocery products – you’re doing it wrong. Messages could be much more romantic than that.
Encourage your loved one daily by simply sending him a few words of love and motivation. I’ve got 50 messages for your husband on my other blog if you need inspiration.
30. Know their love language and speak it
A lot has been written about love languages and the way they transform people’s relationships. Do you know your spouse’s love language? Find it out and learn how to speak it.
Work/ goals/ career
31. Forget your phone exists while at work
Want to be different and for others to notice you at work? Stop checking social media every half an hour and actually stick to your working schedule.
32. Be polite with your colleagues
Ok, that one is maybe kind of logical. However, you might be a little bit rude to your colleagues and don’t notice it. Maintaining good relationships with the people you work with is essential in many ways.
Firstly, you must be kind to everyone, no matter the situation, just because that’s the right thing to do.
Secondly, by maintaining good relationships with your colleagues, you automatically expand your reach to a better position, better clients, better attestation, and a better future in the company.
So, if you want to grow – be nice to people.
33. Find a mentor
Having a mentor is your main goal once you’ve chosen the right career for you.
You could ask someone to mentor you – it could be a manager, a colleague, or another professional in your area.
If none of that is an option, you could choose someone you’ve never met, but he’s a master in your niche. He might have written books, given speeches, interviews, and so on. Read their books, watch their performance, notice the way they see life, and understand their values. That’s what mentoring is about, isn’t it?
34. Don’t do other people’s job
I know I said you must be kind and friendly with your colleagues, but doing their job isn’t either of it.
Be aware of people using you at work. It’s so common and annoying.
If someone is taking advantage of your skills and good heart, be polite but firm and next time you’re asked to take over someone else’s project, just say no.
35. Go the extra mile
Robin Sharma talked about it once, and since then, I can’t get it out of my head.
We live in a world where every service must be perfect, and we must get what we’ve paid for. But we rarely get more than what we want, right?
We go to the restaurant, and we get a “good enough” service from the waiter. We go to the shop, and we see the “polite” smile on the cashier’s face; she behaves just as well as she should.
But people who get ahead in their careers aren’t those who do just “fine” their job. The most successful people are those who do more than they should. The people go the extra mile to help their customers, improve their skills, and push the business ahead.
Be one of them.
36. Invest in your education
If there’s one right way to invest in your future, that’s investing in education.
Improving your skills and gathering knowledge – that’s what’s essential when you want to shine at what you do.
To be the best at something means to know more than it’s required to know.
Invest in your education – sign up for extra classes, get books, and so on.
37. Improve your skills
There’s one way to improve a skill, and that’s by practicing it.
If you want to be a good swimmer – you must swim a lot.
If you want to be good at sales, just go out there and start selling.
If you want to be good at what you do – do it often, do it every day.
38. Ask for feedback from your manager
Asking your boss for feedback is rare. There aren’t many people doing it.
Therefore, you want to be the first.
In this way, you will get a direction to walk towards, and more so, you will indicate that you actually want to be more than the average worker in the company.
39. Enrol in courses
If there’s a definition of the ways to invest in yourself, that’s it – invest in courses.
It could be a course in the college or an online course with Skillshare; it doesn’t matter. If you want to do more – learn more.
40. Attend seminars
If you have the option – attend seminars. They might not be related to your profession, but to help you in it. These are seminars on personal development, management, and so on.
Personal Growth
41. Read 30 minutes a day
This has been proven to be one of the best ways to invest in yourself.
Invest time to sit down and read for half an hour every day. It pays off greatly.
Make a list of all of the books you’d like to go through this year. What would they be about? Professional? Self-development? Inspiring novels?
42. Follow a successful morning routine
The importance of a morning routine is a topic I love chatting about. The reason? It has helped me build my business from scratch, and now my fiance and I live from the income of that business.
And it’s all because I found the best way to start my days. See these 101 good daily habits – there’s an excellent section with the best morning habits in it.
If you’d prefer to boost your creativity in the morning, see these 5 ways to do it here.
43. Learn how to manage your money
Being wealthy is a dream we all share. But it won’t happen unless you learn how to manage your money.
Read books and blog posts and talk to people who know how to manage their money. Invest the time and effort to finally gain the knowledge on how to save money, spend less than you earn, and pay off your debts.
44. Create a best-self vision board
Imagine the person you’d like to become. What would you wear? How would you behave? What would you do? Visualize yourself in the best possible light.
Create a best-self board afterward. It could even be a Pinterest board if that’s easier. Dedicate it to yourself and the person you want to become.
45. Get a hobby
One of the best ways to invest in your sanity, inner peace, and future development is by finding the one thing (or many things) that gives you pleasure and practicing it all the time. It could be drawing, journaling, sewing, knitting, writing, fishing, hiking – it truly does not matter.
Find your hobby; find your passion.
46. Learn new skills
Your personal development is closely related to improving yourself.
No matter the level of your skills – there’s always room for improvement.
Sign up for personal development courses, read books on the subject, get a Skillshare subscription, and invest time in yourself today so it pays off tomorrow.
47. Find your perfect way to distress
If you often feel tired and exhausted, there’s a good reason behind it – stress.
It’s a disease we all have, and we must fight it every day.
We all have different ways to relax and feel good again.
I love watching movies, working on my journals, and reading books. My fiance likes going out with friends and having fun outdoors.
What is your favorite way to relax? Do it often? Reducing stress is crucial for your happiness and health. Never ignore it.
48. Plan your days
I’m a planner junkey. I love planning, planners, to-do lists, and all that goes with it. If there’s a plan to be developed, you bet I’ll have three different plans to accompany it, just in case.
And while I don’t recommend you get as crazy as me, I cannot skip the opportunity to advise you to plan.
Plan your days. Plan your money spendings. Plan your goals.
Why is planning so important?
For a start, it helps you evaluate your situation and see how far you’ve come.
Secondly, it helps you prioritize and put things in order.
Lastly, it guides you throughout your day and helps you stay focused on what’s important.
Plan more.
49. Positive self-talk
No matter if you’d disagree with every other point on my list of ways to invest in yourself.
What I’d genuinely want you to do is to start being more gentle with yourself.
I have a handy rule and want you to adopt it: If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend, why tell it yourself?
Negative self-talk is your biggest enemy, and you want to fight it daily until it gives up and leaves your head for good.
50. Explore more ways to improve yourself
Never stop searching for more ways to invest in yourself.
There are opportunities around you, I know it. Look for them, explore them. Try different ways to improve your life and never give up – it’s totally worth it. I promise!
More Ways to Invest In Yourself
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50 Ways to Invest in Yourself
Blogger, dreamer, procrastinator, and lover of everything soul-touching. My mission is to make you laugh, provoke your thoughts, light up your day and inspire you to fall in love with life and yourself.
Excellent article! Your points are well-articulated and persuasive.
Thank you!
Great read! You’re absolutely right, especially about number 9! DO ONE GOOD THING FOR YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH EVERY DAY. I feel like exercising and eating healthy is something I’ve always been striving for but I catch myself saying “tomorrow.” It really should be about just taking small steps each day to make an impact on your health.
Thank you, Larissa! Yeah, I’m in the same boat as you, I keep waiting for “tomorrow” to start being healthier, but I forget that in this way I ignore “today” and that is all I actually have.
Thanks so much. It’s a wonderful list and very useful especially this period of lockdown.
Thank you!