How many times do you hear you only live once? Well, it’s true. Life goes by quickly, and investing in yourself can help you make the most of it. Here are 15 ways to invest in yourself and improve your life overall.
1. Invest in learning
to learn new skills, take on educational opportunities, or join a class. The more knowledge you have about yourself and your field of work, the better off you’ll be.
If you don’t invest in your education now, it may come back to haunt you later — either as a gap on your resume or as a lack of understanding when asked tough questions.
With all of today’s online classes and educational materials available for free (or cheap), there really is no excuse not to learn something new each day. Find something that interests you and dive right in! You might even find a hidden talent along the way.
From networking skills to personal development, there are plenty of ways you can invest in your own future. The easiest way to start? Devote some of your daily time and energy toward learning.
Whether it’s devouring podcasts, taking a class, or reading a book, learning will help you become a more valuable and interesting person. Investing in yourself isn’t just good for your career — it also helps make you an all-around better person.
Learning new skills and/or developing existing ones always offers a solid return on investment. No matter what your business is — even if it’s just a hobby — learning something new will give you more opportunities, knowledge, and an edge.
And whatever you do, don’t let the words I’m not smart enough stop you from investing in yourself. It might be scary at first (and there are no guarantees of success), but learning makes us better and growing as individuals is key to growing as entrepreneurs.
2. Invest in your health
With rising healthcare costs, you should be budgeting for your medical needs whether you’re working or not. Most experts recommend putting aside a minimum of 10 percent of your net income for expenses such as doctor visits, dental care, and prescriptions.
If money is tight, look for ways to slash unnecessary expenses so that you can put more money toward covering your own healthcare needs.
One way many people are getting rid of debt is by enrolling in a cash-back rewards credit card that offers 2 percent cash back on all purchases and has a 0 percent APR period on balance transfers and purchases.
A $5,000 balance transfer at 2 percent will save you $100 in interest payments over 18 months while letting you keep your good credit score. Even if you’re pressed for time, it’s important to make healthy choices.
If your schedule doesn’t allow for a full workout, make small changes, like taking the stairs instead of elevators and escalators and walking or biking when you can.
Also, add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy them (and how great they make you feel). Eating healthier will also save you money — it costs a lot less to buy vegetables than take-out.
If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. We all tend to take our health for granted, but it’s extremely important that we invest in it. You can start by getting more sleep, eating healthier foods, and staying hydrated throughout your day.
There are dozens of other ways that you can invest in your health, and each of them will help keep you feeling energized and excited about life! The more healthy practices that you maintain on a daily basis, the better quality of life you will experience overall.
3. Invest in learning how to invest
Most of us know investing is important. But how many of us actually do it? One of your best investments, whether you’re trying to save for retirement or just want a few extra bucks at the end of each month, is learning how to invest.
If you’re looking for a good place to start, check out TD Ameliorate Investing 101 page — which walks new investors through all aspects of investing in stocks and mutual funds. This can be daunting and intimidating, but try not to let that stop you from starting.
Remember, A little, a bit here and there can have huge payoffs over time. Check out these tips from The New York Times on How to Be a Financial Adult, too!
There’s no better way to invest in yourself than education.
Whether you’re a novice looking for your first steps or an advanced investor looking for a refresher, investing time and money in learning more can never be considered a bad investment.
For example, there are dozens of educational videos on YouTube that break down complex topics into simple and digestible lessons. There are also countless books (some of which are mentioned below), many costing as little as $10.
This post by Cristian Consonant is a great place to start if you’re interested in learning more about investing basics — and why they matter so much!
You don’t need a degree or years of training to get started with investing. Whether you want to start saving for retirement, buying your first home, starting a business, or funding your child’s education, learning how to invest is key. Sure, stocks and bonds can be complicated, but they don’t have to be.
Put simply: The earlier you start investing, the more money you’ll have later on in life. To help get you started, we put together 15 ways that anyone can invest — no matter their level of expertise — even if it’s just $5 a month.
No time? Look into our Robo-advisors and learn about automated investing tools that make it possible for anyone to start investing with as little as $5.
4. Invest in saving money,
It’s easy to spend money. After all, we do it all day, every day — buying lunch from a vendor on your street corner, paying for your morning coffee at Starbucks, and buying yourself that fancy new pair of jeans you’ve been eyeing.
But saving is harder. First off, there are emotions associated with spending: excitement when you buy something, the satisfaction when you make a purchase that makes you feel good about yourself. Saving is more like a duty than a reward — that savings account just doesn’t feel as fun as going out and getting something brand new.
If you need help getting your budget back on track, there are plenty of apps that can help. Some will even be able to connect you with a financial planner for a one-on-one session. Investing in yourself is an important part of personal finance — especially if you’re trying to grow your career.
Go through your budget and see what could use some tweaking, whether it’s dining out less or cutting down on entertainment costs. By making small changes and saving money, you’ll ultimately have more cash flow over time and might be able to fund other investment ideas down the road.
When it comes to investing, everyone thinks of stocks and bonds — but those aren’t your only options. If you have extra cash lying around, look for ways to save money that could help you cut down on costs throughout life.
Consider shopping around for a lower rate on car insurance or refinancing your mortgage. You might not get rich by cutting out cable, but over time you’ll probably see your money grow (and if the cable is all you’re giving up, it’s a small price to pay).
5. Invest in improving your sleep,
Lack of sleep is a productivity killer. In fact, even one night of poor sleep can significantly impair your cognitive abilities. Investing in yourself by improving your sleep habits will help you function better both at work and at home.
The first step to investing in your sleep is understanding how much you need. Each person is different, so it’s important that you figure out what works best for you based on: stress levels, medical conditions, and factors like exercise or caffeine consumption that may affect your baseline need for sleep.
In a recent survey, 67% of employees said they were not getting enough sleep at night. Not only is a lack of sleep to your health and well-being, but it also has negative effects on productivity at work. Getting good sleep is important for effective time management.
It is also essential if you want to invest time in yourself outside of work by taking care of physical and mental health issues, whether through exercise or self-care.
If you are looking for more tips on how to improve your overall health and well-being, check out our other blogs about exercising for wellness, or check out these healthy food options that you can easily eat on a busy schedule.
More and more studies are pointing to lack of sleep as a risk factor for a wide range of health problems, from heart disease and obesity to depression. A recent study of more than 4,000 adults found that those who slept fewer than six hours a night were much more likely to have high blood pressure and a larger waistline.
They also had lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol compared with people who slept seven or eight hours per night. In another study published last year, adults between ages 40 and 59 who got less than five hours of sleep per night had an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 75 percent, while men over age 50 were twice as likely to have high blood pressure if they slept less than six hours per night.
6. Invest time into meaningful relationships,
This may be one of those feel-good pieces of advice that could get swept away when life gets busy. However, taking time to invest in meaningful relationships is essential for improving your mental health and well-being.
Relationships are also crucial for your overall happiness: Having a network of close friends makes you more resilient to negative experiences, and happy people have been shown to be healthier than their less happy counterparts.
So spend some quality time with loved ones and reconnect with old acquaintances — it’s all about investing in yourself!
This can’t be understated — your career will take you places, but your relationships bring meaning. When you’re an independent contractor, it can feel like there’s a lot of pressure to only think about yourself and get things done as quickly as possible, but taking time out of your day to connect with others and build meaningful relationships is worth it.
These meaningful connections will help keep you grounded when things don’t go according to plan and make sure that you remember why getting up every morning is worth it. Make investments into friendships — whether they are real-life or digital friends, they are what makes life worthwhile.
If you’re searching for ways to invest in yourself, one of your first stops should be meaningful relationships. Human connection is essential to our sense of self-worth and without it, we risk feeling lonely, depressed, and anxious.
Putting time into healthy relationships can boost your mental health and make you a happier, more fulfilled person.
If spending time with family is challenging for you because of busy schedules or life changes like divorce or new parenthood, consider getting involved with a local community group that shares your interests or values.
7. Invest time in fun things like reading or watching movies,
It’s important to set aside time for fun. It doesn’t matter if you don’t consider yourself a big reader or a big movie watcher. We all need some downtime, and it can be as easy as curling up with a book or turning on your favorite show.
Sometimes spending an evening reading a book can help you escape from work stress that has been eating away at you all day. And going out with friends is not only fun, but can also be great for your well-being. Try planning a night of theater or seeing that new blockbuster everyone is talking about — after work, of course!
Time with friends and family is fun and always comes at a cost. But, you can also spend time with yourself. You are your best friend, so make sure you invest in yourself. Make sure you have time for fun activities like reading or watching movies.
These things can give you a great escape from reality and create an enjoyable experience for yourself. You don’t have to look out only for other people — you should know that when it comes to being happy, it’s just as important — if not more — that we take care of ourselves first.
This is especially true when it comes down to how much money we’re making as well. When your well-being suffers, so does your bank account, according to Forbes Magazine.
You may think that fun things like reading or watching movies have nothing to do with growing your business, but those fun activities can actually improve your creativity.
If you’re looking for more clarity and inspiration, try taking a break from work once a week and pick up an interesting book. It will help you get outside your day-to-day routine and refresh your thoughts. But remember not to spend too much time on it — after all, we want you to work as much as possible!
8. Invest time helping others
volunteering time to help others is one of the best investments you can make. It’s not just about adding hours to your resume or making connections with people who will potentially help you find a job; it’s about becoming a better person yourself.
Being around other people who are different from you — culturally, socioeconomically, religiously — is educational and eye-opening. Whether you volunteer for a school charity drive or host weekly study sessions for foreign language students in your home, spending time helping others is an investment worth making.
Time is invaluable, but one of its best uses is helping others. Many entrepreneurs feel that giving back can be difficult because they’re worried about spreading themselves too thin or being unavailable for their own ventures.
However, by taking time to help others and by staying involved with your community, you will build important relationships and have a better sense of how you can best serve your target audience.
You will also learn from other people’s struggles and insights while becoming part of a larger ecosystem that includes new collaborators and potential customers.
Ultimately, investing time in improving yourself can improve your life — and it may even make you feel more successful than ever before. Volunteering is a great way to invest time and help others, but it’s also a healthy self-investment.
Volunteering gives you more perspective on life and puts your problems into perspective. It’s an altruistic investment of time that can pay dividends for years down the road. If you are unemployed, volunteering might even enhance your resume!
Most employers value those who give back to their communities; they will see that as an indicator of how you will fit with their company culture.
9. Travel far,
The world is a big place, and you haven’t even begun to see it. Traveling far, both literally and figuratively, helps us discover more about ourselves than we could ever imagine.
Take a road trip through rural America, backpack across Europe or visit your favorite overseas destination (or all three!) — it doesn’t matter what kind of travel you prefer.
It only matters that you do it frequently. Getting out of your comfort zone will help you learn things about yourself that you didn’t even know were possible. Once you start putting yourself outside your regular routine, nothing will be able to hold back your true potential!
Traveling is one of the best ways to invest in yourself because it exposes you to new ideas, people, and experiences. Traveling allows you to learn about different cultures and ways of life. It can also teach you how other countries view their government and economy.
Taking time off from work is valuable for your long-term happiness, but it’s also good for your career; studies show that employees who take vacations are more productive at work than those who don’t.
Taking regular breaks from your routine also gives you a chance to recharge so that when you’re back at work, you feel motivated and inspired.
The more time you spend with people who speak a different language than you or live according to different customs, you’ll learn new ways of thinking. You’ll make connections that can never be broken.
You’ll remember what it was like before all these electronic devices made us feel connected — but alone. So get out there and travel far, for at least part of your life. If nothing else, it will make a tremendous story for your kids. (Be sure to take pictures!)
10. Build a separate income stream that’s not dependent on you
Self-employed or full-time employees have no way of creating a stream of income that isn’t dependent on them. However, if you have some sort of unique talent, it may be possible for you to invest your time and energy into creating a new income stream for yourself.
It won’t be easy, but taking a few hours each week to develop your skill set can pay off greatly over time. For example, if you enjoy writing, try blogging as a side hustle; there are plenty of topics to write about and plenty of people that visit blogs daily that would love your content.
Just be sure not to fall into any ruts with your writing style — you can become boring quickly! Create a side income stream that’s separate from your regular paycheck.
This doesn’t have to be elaborate, and it can be as simple as renting out a spare room or renting out your car (where legal and possible) — but don’t overlook ways of earning that are within your means.
Because you never know what will happen down the road. Here are 10 unique ways of investing in yourself for long-term financial security. When it comes to your financial well-being, it’s important that you don’t count on only one source of income.
You should set up multiple passive income streams that are completely separate from your primary job. This will help make sure that if one stream is affected by changes at work, or you need to stop working for some time, you have other income sources available.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe below, so I can send my next one right into your inbox. If you’re not already a paying Medium member, consider joining using my referral link. I’ll earn a small commission. Thanks!
You must be logged in to post a comment.