If you invest yourself in these 5 steps, you can build the life you want

Yes, I know you have an idea about what you want when you want it but most of us get caught up with the how to get there part. Now the how part is even more important as it can stall big dreams. I am not about bullshitting you; without taking the rightful steps in investing yourself, ideas aren’t worth much. Ever been convinced by a marketing salesperson to buy a product you hardly need. Their convincing habit started by a bit of self investment. They realised the profit of investing in themselves. Winning starts by investing in you. If there is any bigger safe investment you can make, this is one- Investing in yourself. By investing in yourself you are sending a bold message to you and the world -” I am a very valuable asset, I will do whatever it takes to grow, elevate and bring home the results”.  When you say yes to such a statement and a great leap of faith, the universe will reward you handsomely. I am talking about an investment that changes everything you know about your purpose, from the usual get an education, get a job and be loyal till the day you retire and just wait for the end of the clock.

So why haven’t you caught your “break” yet? The thing about breaks is they just don’t pop up, here is how you can turn a corner:

Continuously develop your skills

The world is moving at a fast pace. Each change that we go through somehow demands new thinking, approach, and skills. The I am old school thinking and mindset doesn’t work unless if you want to be left behind. So how do you know if your skills are still relevant? Just get yourself a moment and go through a checklist of what you need to do against the skills you currently have. This is not the time to deceive anyone, its just about you so there is no need to cheat. Start by putting in the picture either what you are currently working or what you intent to work on. Ooh I want to be an entrepreneur but I lack in marketing skills, I cant sell myself better yet still my products, I want to be an actress but I am not an eloquent speaker or I want to be a counselor but I am poor at listening.

Because you have the desire to succeed in your journey, you have to take a look at what is lacking. Ask yourself how do I get the skill that I am lacking. This could be the only thing stopping you from getting to the next level. So why not put an extra effort in mastering and learning this skill(s). I am not saying we should all be in a scramble for a degree. No darling, that is not the point. Formal education is one of the many options. Getting that piece of skill or knowledge is not about just taking business classes or getting a first class degree. You can easily pick on free courses online (futurelearn.com), attend local small business workshops, get yourself a few books or utilise various internet resources. The burning desire to learn and master this skill comes from you, from within you.

What new skill have you developed lately? or are you just in the habit of rushing home after punching out from work so you can sit down and watch television. Mind you educating yourself is a life class. All successful people have the same time as you have, so what did they do differently? Most successful people started from where you are, they used the time after work and weekends to invest in themselves.  So its up to you to keep learning and stay updated so you can make your dreams a reality.

Identify things you need time for

What makes the difference between doing nothing and doing something is how you make time for each. Well if I have to spell it, just sitting about and doing nothing does consume your time the same way as doing something. Time is what we are racing against. There isn’t enough of it.

Whatever it is you want to do, you can break it down in seconds, hours, days and years.  It takes a bit of planning and being conscious of how many minutes, hours or days can build the life you want; those years of hard-working university days, those hours spent creating a brand, the hours spent training, all that builds to excellence.

Now if you are to mis-allocate your time chilling, partying and feeding into gossip what would you be by the end of the year or years? However you spend your time is how you become, how you spend your time is your commitment.

Challenge yourself and remove all the chaos in your life and be effective, it takes time to be creative. Value your time, what are you going to do today?

Set your goals

We all have things that we want to achieve.  It doesn’t matter whether you aspire to be a sports person, an actress, a pilot or company director, we all have goals but at times we lose focus on them. You cant just think about them, write your goals down, read through them even if it means going through these each day. Put your goals on paper. Why is this important? Imagine how many things you go through each day, the stumbling blocks, the destructions, the incidences, the heartaches, its just too much for the brain to process. So going through your written goals makes you focus and be disciplined enough to keep thinking and innovating on how to achieve them. You are more likely to ask yourself the big questions on how can I get this goal(s) and waste far less precious time.

Putting all the time, energy and effort towards completing your goals, is probably all you need.  It might be a tough campaign but when you look back you realise how such positive steps make things happen. You have to work smart and hard to get your goals.

Invest time in your creativity

You are endowed with the ability to create. Whether you are an artist, a musician, an architect, or an entrepreneur, you have the power to see things differently and create something unique. There is a limitless fountain of creativity within us- the only thing that stops you is you. Looking down at yourself is hardly helpful as it just scares you from showing the world what you are about. You are currently just giving us your 10% because that is what you are currently comfortable with. Why hide the 90%, you know its there, you go through this night and day but feel like the next person is better off. You are the next person. Time to unearth your creativity. All the problems and struggles you are going through will never match what you are capable of.

So what you are not an artistic painter or sculptor but have you tried your hand on, gourmet cooking, motivational speaking, writing something, or creating tangible things.  Perhaps the next designer clothing can only come from you. Get out of your shell and try something new or develop your creativity further. Cant wait for what you got.

Take care of your health

You cant invest in your skills, set goals but forget the physical being. We are not taking a step ahead and moving three steps backward. I am talking about investment in YOU, which means the you physically, the you skills wise and the you health-wise. Can you handle getting up and sleeping in the wee hours of the morning, 7 days a week when you are running on a “tired” body? The body and mind need nurturing to deliver and be able to move you to the next level. Taking care of the body and mind allows you to excel and focus providing you with more energy-more knowledge-more ideas—mental and physical endurance. A  healthier body will give you the stamina you need. When you hit the lows your body will bring you up. Keep your mind open and engaged by joining conversations in relevant platforms, hear others but be sure to be heard. A healthier mind depends on your eating habits and the choices you make.  You don’t have to be registered with a gym or be part of a healthy eating group. A 30-minute walk during your lunch break, even just walking a dog later on you gets your heart rate up.

Be sure to complement all by looking your best always. A good looking you is key to providing the confidence and esteem you need for turning the corner. Just as well, you know much as I do that running on low energy or on empty cannot produce the results you want.

Investing in yourself truly makes a difference in your life, your well-being, and your ability to thrive and perform to the best of your ability. The extent to which you invest in yourself, mind and body, not only shapes the way you interact with the outside world, it often reflects the opinion you have of yourself. Your future is in large part determined by your willingness and ability to invest in yourself now.

Get on with improving yourself before your fears go on high alert and make you hit the big NO button. Fear makes you want to hold up and make you hid behind the usual bullshit excuses “I haven’t got the time, I cant afford to attend the meeting, I am too old to learn new skills and so on”. Need I remind you that this is about you, there ain’t no room to play small and remain the same. The you-you want to be comes at a small cost but its what you need for your growth.

“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” — Robin S. Sharma.

 

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