How to Best Invest in Yourself

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Are you tired of feeling stuck in life? You’re not alone!

We all crave a better version of ourselves, but with the overwhelming amount of information out there, it’s hard to know where to start.

So, you want to improve yourself but…how exactly? That’s the tough part.

The good news is, you’ve come to the right place!

In this blog post, I’ve compiled the ultimate guide to help you invest in yourself and unlock your full potential.

Whether you’re looking to improve spiritually, mentally, physically, or emotionally, I’ve got you covered!

So, are you ready to invest your time to become the best version of yourself? Then, let’s get started! 

DISCLAIMER: I may receive a small commission – which is not going to affect your final price – on the products mentioned. I am only promoting products that I consider valuable and beneficial. If you decide to make any purchase, well…thank you for buying me a cup of coffee! xx

SPIRITUAL

1. GET TO KNOW YOURSELF

Some people go on about life without ever questioning themselves. That scares me a lot. 

They follow a pre-determined path, thinking that’s what they should be doing, only to end up deeply unhappy with themselves and their life at age 50. If only they listened to their intuition…

You see, when you don’t get into the habit of questioning yourself, it gets harder and harder to identify whether you’re making a decision based on your free will – or just because it is expected of you. 

If there is one question you should ask yourself all the time is: “Why?”. One word, three letters that can change your whole trajectory. 

Whenever you say ‘yes’ to something – but also when you say ‘no’ – ask yourself why you made that choice. And dig deep. Don’t feel content with the first answer you get. After you answered your first “Why?”, ask it 4 times more. 

Only when you allow yourself to dig deep into your soul, the real you comes to the surface. 

So, if you’re at a point in life in which nothing makes sense and you feel lost, go back in time, and re-ponder the decisions you took in the past.

One of the best ways to invest in yourself is by getting to know yourself.

30 JOURNALING PROMPTS FOR SELF-DISCOVERY

For this reason, I want to give you a gift. I created this FREE Workbook “30 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery”, that I hope will help you in this introspective journey. Grab it below!

 

I have been lost too. I have had many of those days in which everything felt like a chore – nothing made sense. My days were filled up with things I had to do, not that I wanted to do.

Then, I stopped and asked myself: “But what is it that I want to do and like doing?”.

The answer didn’t come straight out of my mouth. That’s when I realized that I had never asked myself that question before. 

If I didn’t know myself, how did I expect to live a life that I loved? Hopefully, those journaling prompts will help you do some inner work that will give you a grasp of who you are. 

You cannot have the answer if you’ve never asked the right question.

2. LEARN TO BE GRATEFUL

Another great way to best invest in yourself is to learn the art of gratefulness. 

At the end of the day, being grateful means perceiving things through new eyes. 

Daily, we take so many things for granted – yet there is someone, out there, who has less than us but also a bigger heart. 

If you don’t learn to be grateful, you’ll never think you have enough. 

To start with, you need to understand that you can be grateful for many things that aren’t “things”. 

It’s not about what you have, it’s about what you think of it. 

Learning to be grateful is re-wiring your brain, telling it to focus more on positive things rather than negative ones. 

The human brain, by instincts, is more likely to remember bad events. For survival, we were screening the outside world to watch out for possible threats and dangers.

Fast-forward 200 thousand years, we’re not facing the same threats as our ancients did but yet we didn’t get rid of the defense mechanism that brings us to focus on the negative.

Learning to be more grateful takes time and practice. 

That’s why, to whoever is just starting or is planning to, here are the best techniques I would recommend:

• Create a “Gratitude Journal”
• Write down 3 things for which you are grateful
• Mentally think of 3 things you’re grateful for each night before sleeping

It won’t come naturally at first, but the more you do it the easier it will get for you to focus on the bright side. 

3. MASTER MINDFULNESS

The last spiritual way in which you can invest in yourself is by mastering mindfulness.

The world out there is chaotic. In a fast-paced society in which, if you’re not on the go, you’re not being productive enough, we have forgotten the art of “being”. 

We aren’t machines; we weren’t created to be productive. We are here on this Planet to experience the gift of Life. 

How many of us are just surviving, without living? 

Where is the beauty of things, If we can’t stop enough to truly appreciate them? 

In a world that’s telling you to move faster, be a rebel: choose your own rhythm. 

You’re probably wondering: “How do I do it?”.

Well, let me give you some examples of how you can practice mindfulness in your daily routine.

MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES

• Meditate – it can be even just 5 minutes but, please, make this gift to yourself
• Intentionally eating – enjoy the food in front of you, taste every bite, and don’t just shove it down while getting through your emails
• Deep breaths
  • breathe in for 4,3,2,1;
  • hold for 4,3,2,1;
  • exhale for 4,3,2,1 (do it as many times as you need, as often as you want)
• Self-reflection – if you have a moment of free time, decide to invest that time in yourself rather than scrolling through your smartphone. What’s going on in your body and your head?
• Yoga – it is a form of movement for which each pose is deeply connected and synchronized with your breathing. It’s a nice workout that allows you to reconnect with yourself
• Awareness exercise – to focus on the present moment, I want you to list in your head:
  • 5 things you see around you
  • 4 things you touch
  • 3 things you hear
  • 2 things you smell
  • 1 thing you taste

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MENTAL

1. READ BOOKS

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”

– Joseph Addison

I don’t believe in people who don’t like reading. Rather, I think that those people haven’t found their books yet. 

If there’s anything you want to know more about, picking up a book that covers that topic is a great place to start. 

Name something that you’re interested in, and I’m sure that somebody has written a book about it!

Personally, I love reading self-help books. Sometimes, though, a well-written fiction book just hits the spot. 

Make it as easy as possible, for you, to pick up this habit. 

A great book can be the best company in many cases:

• During your commute to school or work – if you’re not the one driving
• When you’re waiting in line
• When you’re in the doctor’s waiting room
• As soon as you wake up – to wake up your brain too
• Right before going to bed – to wind down

You have so many options nowadays: paper books, digital books, and audiobooks.

There are no excuses for it: if you’re not reading it’s because you choose NOT to – not because you don’t have time for it! 

Even 10 minutes spent reading is better than none. It’s a small way in which you can invest in yourself but that will have lifetime results.

So, tonight, instead of looking at your phone as the last thing you do before sleeping, put your phone down and pick up a book. 

Your mind – and your sleep – will thank me later! 😉

2. LEARN NEW SKILLS

Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset? If you don’t know it yet, there is one simple way to find out. 

Ask yourself this question: “Do I believe that we are born with a set of skills, or that we acquire new skills as we move through life?”.

If you have a growth mindset, you believe that all skills are learnable. 

One day, while I was randomly scrolling through TikTok (I’m human too, and I know we are all guilty of this), I came across a short but sweet speech by Bryan Tracy. You can find it here: “All Skills are Learnable”.

In his speech, the famous author of “Eat that Frog” (I talked about this technique in “6 Shocking Productivity Myths that hold you Back“), emphasized how all self-made billionaires he looked at shared the same qualities. 

Whether these were the skills that made them self-billionaires or not, the important fact was that: all these skills are learnable. 

So yes, I believe too that you can learn anything if you put your mind to it. 

It all comes down to how badly you want it. 

If you want something badly, you’re willing to put in some hours of your time as an investment, only to benefit from the interests later on. 

What is it that you want?

Do you want to learn Chinese? Do you want to learn to bake? Or is it gardening? Or maybe, is it blogging?

If it is the latter, and one of your dreams is to be a successful blogger, I have the perfect solution! I created a FREE Blogging Plan to help you set a solid basis for a successful blog – even before launching it! Feel free to grab it below 🙂

Invest in yourself by investing in learning new skills. Remember: whatever skill you want to have, you can learn it.
 

3. EXPLORE

A passion doesn’t have to be only something you can exploit. 

In the past years, there has been this battle against finding a passion that can make you earn some money. 

While I recognize that it is amazing to have something you truly enjoy doing and that also pays your rent – take blogging, for instance -, there is so much more that goes beyond it. 

It is perfectly fine to do things just for the pure joy of doing them! 

It’s also perfectly fine to do something for a while, just to realize that it isn’t really for you, and switch to something else! 

In a world that tells you to do anything but make sure you get paid for it, I tell you this: invest in yourself by finding something that brings you joy and peace! 

Who cares what your friends, your mom, or your partner think about it! Unless you’re hurting someone, you’re not doing anything wrong. 

Explore as many things as you are interested in. 

Follow your curiosity and see where it leads you. 

Try something once or ten times – both are legit. 

Find a passion and make it your little secret or share it with the whole world – both are legit. 

Get out of your comfort zone and try something that goes beyond your limits or keep it simple and comfortable – both are legit. 

You can explore as many things as you want in life. 

They don’t all have to make sense to the rest of the world, as long as they make sense to you. 

Invest in yourself by making the promise that you will explore as much as you possibly can.

This world is yours to explore. Now go, and explore.

4. SET GOALS

Another important mental way in which you can invest in yourself is by setting goals. If you don’t set any goals, how do you know you’re making progress?

When you’re setting goals, you should set them S.M.A.R.T. 

If you’re not familiar with this acronym, it means:

• Specific 
• Measurable
• Attainable 
• Relevant 
• Time-Bound

Let’s connect to one of the points above, and let’s say you want to start a new habit of meditating

How can you set a S.M.A.R.T. goal without just saying “I want to meditate more often”? 

Let’s break it down together:

• Specific – I want to master the habit of meditating every day, following a different guided meditation video each day
• Measurable – The videos I will choose will be at least 5 minutes long
• Attainable – 5 minutes are the sweet spot: I can always find 5 extra minutes in my day (meditating for 30 minutes, for example, wouldn’t be so attainable if you’re just a beginner)
• Relevant – The reason behind this goal is that I’ve been feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Because of this, I want to implement daily meditation to feel more grounded, at peace, and present
• Time Bound – In 2 months, I want to raise my daily meditation time from 5 minutes to 10

Now, that is a goal that makes sense – and that you can easily track! 

You have a clear plan, now you’ve just got to take action!

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PHYSICAL

1. FIND A MOVEMENT YOU LIKE

Hear me out: I was never a big sporty girl. When I was in high school, I would have preferred having 2 hours of literature than P.E. 

We don’t all love exercising; but, for sure, our body loves us when we move it enough. 

You know, I have just realized that it’s not that I hate exercising. I didn’t like it during my high school years because I didn’t like the types of exercises and games we had to do.

 Starting back then, though, I had always thought of myself as someone who didn’t like exercising – so I stopped trying. 

Then, on a random day in 2021, I went for a run. I LOVED IT! Runner’s high is a real thing, and I loved the feeling of it! 

Have you ever thought just for a second that maybe it’s not that you’re not a sportive person, but rather that you haven’t found your “thing” yet? 

I mean, have you tried all the sports in the world to say that you don’t like sports? 

Who knows, maybe water polo is your thing. Or you’re amazing at cricket. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

If you really want to invest in yourself, one of the ways to do it is by investing in your body.

Find a way to make it enjoyable for you, because – guess what – if you truly enjoy a type of movement, you’ll be more likely to stick to it and be consistent in the long run. 

If you’ve tried spinning three times and hate every second of it, don’t do it! 

If what brings you joy is practicing yoga, then do it as much as you want to! 

Same thing if you love lifting! 

Find what you love, listen to your body, and you’ll be – feel – and look much healthier!

2. 80/20 RULE – NOT A DIET

Another great way to invest in your physical sphere, together with exercising regularly, would be to follow a healthy and balanced diet. 

For diet, I don’t mean anything that we automatically associate with dieting: I don’t want you to cut out the carbs, do intermittent fasting, or count your calories. 

I don’t mean all of this – actually, I think that they are all unhealthy ways of living.

What I would recommend, instead, is following the 80/20 “rule”. 

More than a rule, it’s a lifestyle (and it’s definitely not a diet!). 

You are allowed to eat any food you desire but moderately. 

Think of your body as your temple. How would you treat it? 

It’s all about the choices you repetitively make. 

If you eat a burger and fries now and then, it’s perfectly fine! 

Are you craving ice cream? Go for it! 

Two chocolate chip cookies sound good for a quick pick-me-up snack, right? Eat them!

But I’m sure that, if you mostly eat well-balanced and nourishing meals, all the above represent more the “exception” than the norm. 

I think we all want to eat food that makes us feel good. 

Some things might feel good at the moment, only to make us regret it for the next 4 hours. 

So yeah, I don’t want you to spend too much time thinking about your food. 

I would much rather if you gave more thought to “How do I want to feel?”. 

Then, look at the options you have and choose the one that will make you feel the best.

3. PRIORITIZE TIME OUTSIDE

We were not programmed to sit behind a desk, staring at a screen all day long. Yet so many of us do. 

If there is one thing that can:

• Lift your mood up
• Make you healthier
• And…give you a boost of energy

That is spending some time outside!

 It has so many benefits for your physical and mental health, so why not carve out some time for it? 

I know, sometimes it is hard to fit it into the tight schedule you already have. 

If you’re short on time but want to get all the benefits above, here are some ways in which you could easily include spending more time outside in your routine:

• Eat your lunch outside
• Go for a 15-minute’ walk every morning or evening
• Exercise outside
• Drink your coffee outside
• Try gardening
• Go to the local park
• Go grab a coffee
• Sit on your balcony
• Walk or bike somewhere nearby instead of driving

Prioritize getting some fresh air in every day as a way to invest in yourself. Slowly, you’ll start to see the many benefits you get from it. 

One of my favorite quotes says:

“The best six doctors anywhere and no one can deny it, are sunshine, water, rest, air, exercise, and diet.”

– Wayne Fields

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EMOTIONAL

1. EVALUATE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Intrapersonal relationships can be hard to handle. 

If it’s true that we can’t choose our family, it’s as much true that we are free to choose our friends, partners, peers, and colleagues – to a certain extent. 

Like a flower can’t blossom in unfruitful soil, a person cannot evolve in a toxic environment. 

What do you do if a plant is too much? You don’t cut the plant; you find a bigger vase.

You’ll outgrow many people in your life – and that won’t be easy. 

When people feel like we’re abandoning them, they are particularly clingy or mean. In both cases, their behavior towards your change has nothing to do with you. 

Recognizing that some people in your life are not good for you – and therefore decide to let them go – is one of the best ways to invest in yourself.

If people criticize you, at least in the beginning, is because they cannot accept the new version of yourself. 

If you’re at a point in your life where you don’t like yourself or your circumstances anymore, look around you, focusing on the people that are in your life:

• Do they reflect the way you’d like to live in the future?
• Do they bring the best out of you?
• Can they make you happy?
• Do they add value to your life?

Were any of the answers ‘no’? Then, I invite you to re-evaluate your relationship with them. 

“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”

– Jim Ron

Are you content with yourself? 

If the answer is no, try to investigate a little bit deeper and find how your 5 people may be having an impact on you. 

Always remember: you are allowed – and I encourage you – to become the person you’ve always wanted to be. 

It’s never too late. 

Some flowers bloom later in the spring, and yet they’re still beautiful. 

2. FOCUS ON GIVING RATHER THAN RECEIVING

I believe that giving gifts is better than receiving them. 

What if one of the best ways to invest in yourself is through investing in others?

When you give your gift to someone and this person is about to open it, the excitement and happiness become spontaneous and suddenly invade the whole room. 

Why should we limit ourselves to giving something to people only if it’s a special occasion? Every day is special, after all! 

There are many small ways in which you could brighten up someone’s day. 

To name a few:

• Hold the door open for the person after you
• Help an old person cross the street safely
• Offer the coffee to the person after you
• Smile at strangers
• Say ‘thank you’
• Compliment people (for the way they do their job, for their politeness, for their friendliness, etc)

Something as small can have a much bigger impact than you’d expect. 

Now it’s your turn: go out there and make someone’s day a little better! (Spoiler: it will make your day better as well)

3. EMBRACE YOURSELF

You’re the only constant in your life. 

You will change many places, people, jobs, clothes, and versions of yourself but…you will always be on your side. 

Make peace with yourself if you haven’t already. It is a pointless war, anyway.  

It’s surprising how mean we can be with ourselves. 

There are things that we would never say to our best friend, yet we do it to ourselves. 

What you think is what you see. What you see is what you become. 

We are the strictest judges in our life. Why not just give up fighting this meaningless war? 

What if you woke up tomorrow and decided that, instead of wasting your time fighting, you could invest that energy in other things? 

What if you could look at yourself in the mirror, and notice not only what you dislike, but also what makes you unique? 

That is your power: you being… you. 

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Final note: take the time to invest in yourself, it’s the best investment you’ll ever make. 

“It’s never too late to be who you might have been”

– George Elliot

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