Personal development - 14 ways to invest in yourself
Posted on by Lisa Newman-Morris

How can personal development help me?

You are your greatest asset

Personal development is the key to bettering yourself. If you are a business owner, and especially if you are a solopreneur,  you are your business. Looking after yourself and working on yourself is so important. You are your greatest asset, so how are you investing in yourself and how are you striving to learn and be just a little bit better today than yesterday? Your willingness to invest in personal development will play a huge role in your future success.

In last week’s post, I talked about the importance of investing in your business if you want to create success. The same can be said for investing in yourself. If you want to create personal success, it is wise to invest in your personal development.

Personal development needs to be practiced

The ability to seek out ways to continually learn and grow is a key fundamental skill that all resilient, optimistic and successful people possess. These traits are not granted to us at birth. They are not exclusive to the best of us. They need to be practiced with purpose, because as with any skill, they can be improved.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us - Marianne Williamson Share on X

Personal development covers many activities that develop your talents and potential, improves your identify and self confidence, reduces self doubt, enhances your quality of life and relationships, improves your employability, and contributes to the realisation of your dreams and aspirations. It’s something that can take place over the course of your entire lifetime.

Have you ever wondered “How can personal development help me?” I asked my audience “What was the best investment you have ever made in yourself?”

1. Invest in yourself

Invest time, effort and love into yourself and it will pay off exponentially. Challenge yourself to learn, understand, introspect and push your boundaries. Learn what your role is, find your passion, nurture your interests and do things that make you feel uncomfortable. Challenge your potential. Let go of guilty feelings when you choose to have ‘me time’. Learn to focus on what’s best for you instead of people pleasing.

2. Invest in your health

Looking after your physical and mental wellbeing can pay off in so many aspects of your life. You should never take your health for granted. Without your health, you have nothing. For some people, unfortunately, it takes a drastic decline in their health for them to realise how important their health is to them. What would happen to you, your family and your business if tomorrow you couldn’t function due to poor health?

Look after your physical and mental health by:

  • eating well and nourishing your body
  • staying hydrated by drinking enough water
  • exercising for at least 30 minutes each day
  • spending time outside
  • managing a healthy work/life balance
  • reducing stress
  • getting enough sleep
  • limiting alchohol

3. Invest time and effort into your children

Children are young for such a short time. Investing quality time with your kids is not only great for them, it’s terrific for you too. There’s no formula or best way to invest time and effort into your kids, but it is important to be present. Many parents spend time with their children all day long, but they are rarely present. Being present and being with your kids are two very different things. So put down the technology for a while, read to your kids, take them to the playground, ask them about their day,  play games with them and talk to them about their dreams.

4. Invest in your relationship with your partner

Set aside quality time together on a regular basis. In the hustle and bustle of life, especially when there are children in the picture, it’s easy to let the romance die and to put the task of spending time together in the too hard basket. Agree on some special things you can do, whether that be date night once per week, cook a meal together, half an hour per day where you switch off technology and talk to each other, give each other a massage, or something as simple as giving each other a passionate kiss once per day (for example, together you agree that the kiss has to be at least 10 seconds long – try it tonight!).

personal development

5. Invest in your family

We’ve discussed investing time in your partner and your children, but don’t forget about the rest of your family; your parents, grandparents, aunties, cousins, godparents. Friends may come and go but family will always be there. Make the effort to keep close family bonds and maintain positive, open communication.

6. Invest in your education

Invest in finishing school and furthering your education if you get the chance. Go to university or college, do a trade, enroll in certificate workshops, take a short course. We are so privileged in this country to have access to so many educational opportunities. Never underestimate the benefit of education and continue to seek out new learning opportunities all throughout your life.

7. Invest in self-development

Work on your personal skills, your confidence and on areas you know you have weakness. Self-development is different to education. It’s a little less tangible and a little harder to pinpoint.  The type of self-development I’m talking about is for example, saying ‘yes’ more often to opportunities that present themselves. It’s intentionally placing yourself in situations which will launch you forward. It’s testing your capabilities and giving you a chance to excel. Set a new goal, attend seminars, workshops, join a networking group, attend conferences, coaching sessions, find a mentor, sign up for online webinars. Push your boundaries. You are far more capable than you think!

8. Invest in learning a new skill

An education will give you knowledge and tools however you can invest in yourself by learning a new skill. Learn to cook a new recipe. Start a blog. Learn a language. Take up an instrument. I have recently started to learn the guitar and I’m absolutely loving it. It’s possible at any age to acquire new skills and to build new neural pathways in your brain which can help to keep you sharp, alert and feeling youthful!

9. Invest in your strengths

The most successful people in the world have discovered the things they are best at and have built their lives around those strengths. If you have something that you know you are great at, make sure you are capitalising on this and getting the greatest return. You could even invest in sharing your strengths by teaching someone else what you’re good at.

10. Invest in your friendships

Friendships are vital for the human spirit. We are social animals and it’s natural to want to belong to a tribe of people where we feel safe and welcome. It’s important that you have a strong support network of people who have your back. Clear your life of negative people. Make new friends that inspire you and lift you up.

11. Invest in others

Donate your time. Help a friend. Give to charities. Volunteer to help those less fortunate. Investing in others is a great way to invest in yourself.

12. Invest in starting a business

One way to invest in yourself and your future is to start a business. It’s important to do your research and invest in learning and understanding the fundamentals of business before you take the leap. This is not something I can cover in one paragraph but with the right preparation, the right plan, the right advice and support, it can be an incredibly rewarding venture. A good place to start to learn some of the most important business fundamentals is my free ebook – 9 essential first steps to building a successful business.

13. Invest in asking for help when needed

Whether it’s asking for help from a therapist, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a friend, a mentor, a coach, an advisor, a support group, a helpline, or even something as practical as hiring a cleaner to help you with the household chores; always be prepared to ask for help if you find yourself overwhelmed.

14. Invest in investments

Find a good balance between investing in your present and investing in your future. Learn to manage your finances and put some of your salary towards savings. Spend less than you earn. Maintain good credit. There are many different ways to invest your money. You can invest in property, in shares, in a business, in paying down debt, in wine, in antiques, just to name a few. There are many ways to invest and one of the most important criteria is that your investment should have a high likelihood of increasing in value over time.

Invest in a financial adviser and educate yourself. There are some amazing investment clubs where you can educate yourself. One of my favourites is Calnan Flack.

Conclusion

Personal development is one of the most valuable investments you will make. By investing in yourself you are investing in your future and when you do this, you can only reap great rewards!

 

Human potential - Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” – Marianne Williamson

52 Replies to “How can personal development help me?”

    1. Thanks Brittany! Yes it was a great exercise to hear how many different ways people love to invest in themselves

      Reply

  2. I’m a huge fan of personal development and you’ve got some fab ideas right here. You cover both personal and professional ideas which is great! Personally my health is something I invest in a lot as it won’t last forever (something I’ve only come to realise very recently). Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  9. I love this! I took my hobby farm into a way to make money last year. I invested in myself, now I’m investing in knowing what I love will flourish. I was a stay at home mom that knew I could grow children, food and my knowledge.

    Reply

    1. Oh yes Sophia work and studies are important but so are you! Make sure you put aside time to invest in you x

      Reply

  12. Thank you for sharing such a great post! Its easy to forget how many different ways you can work on personal development. I have recently started a blog and have been focusing on exercising for 30 during the week.

    Reply

  15. Invest in “doing nothing”.

    I think that is a very underrated investment. Idle time, just gazing through the window. Without objective.

    Because we all need a break every now and then.

    Reply

  16. Hey Lisa,

    This is such a fantastic post.

    As a solopreneur, I am so guilty of forgetting invest in my health. And I’m so paying the price literally as I type. I’m trying to grow really quickly and the amount of time it takes to do what I’m doing is taking its toll.

    I’m still new at this so it’s almost a battle between my health and my financial sense, but also my unwillingness to give up control of everything.

    Great list of suggestions!

    Thanks for the encouragement,

    Nadalie, It’s All You Boo
    NEW POST: How Do I Slay My Goals?

    Reply

    1. Great to hear Nadalie! Sorry to hear you’re paying the price but if you’ve acknowledged what needs to change then you can take back control. All the best xx

      Reply

  17. LOVE this, so so much! Preaching and practicing this with myself right now! It’s so easy to say, not as easy to do. Finally practicing what I preach!

    Reply

  19. I wholeheartedly, absolutely, positively agree with this post. For the past few years or so, I’ve been really trying to buckle down and focus on the overall idea of self-improvement and isolating exactly what I need to work on as well as how I should begin to work on each trait. Great post! This is definitely something that I think more people need to keep in mind. My belief is that so many people reach a certain point and accept things as they are. However, it is my personal philosophy that people should always strive to continue growth and seek development. Every3-5 years people should look back and see at least some positive growth!

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for your great comment Lenny! I totally agree with you. Most people need a bit of a push to realise they are capable of reaching higher and striving for more, and then encouragement to work towards growth as you say.

      Reply

  20. I could not have read this at a better time, thank you for this!! These are such great suggestions that are really quite obvious, but it’s so easy to let certain aspects of our lives fall by the wayside.

    Reply

  21. This list is great! Sometimes it can be so difficult to invest in ourselves when there’s so much else going it – it can definitely feel selfish! But you make some great points as to why it’s important and ways to accomplish self-investment! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Totally Jessica. The guilt can sometimes be tough, especially if it’s taking time away from other things that are expected of you. But you’re important too! Never forget that.

      Reply

    1. Oh wow Clarice that’s amazing! I agree it’s definitely possible, maybe takes a bit of extra patience when you’re older but it’s fun challenging yourself. I love learning guitar, I completely suck at it but each day I’m improving 🙂

      Reply

  23. This is such an awesome post that everyone needs to see! Such a nice list. I totally agree with investing in yourself. Many people don’t invest in and love/take care of themselves, myself included. But once you start, you notice how much of a difference it makes in everything you do! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Tara! Really appreciate those kind words and I’m glad to hear you’re a supporter of investing in yourself.

      Reply

    1. Please come back any time Zoey and help yourself to any of my resources. Thank you so much for your kind words. I have more great content coming out very soon… stay tuned!

      Reply

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