When you invest in yourself, you build the ability to develop, grow, and evolve. But what does that look like beyond the basics of going to school and opening a savings account?
Without getting all corporate on you, I thought it was about time we had a little sit-down.
As a recovering Type A personality, I know a thing or two about drive, determination, growth, and success. And none of it comes out of thin air.
While I’m not going to tell you that you have to work hard for what you want and wait for that incremental growth, you do have to make the conscious decision to invest in yourself.
The career growth, professional accomplishments, personal achievements, and private wins all come at a cost.
They take time, dedication, patience, and commitment.
And they also require you to invest in yourself.
What it means to invest in yourself
As humans, we’re meant to evolve.
Whether we decide to have a say in that or not, it’s going to happen.
Personally, I prefer to have a very active input in the direction of my life. I may have learnt the hard way that things rarely ever go to plan, but we still have the option to influence it all a little.
One of the easiest ways to do it is to invest in yourself.
And no, I’m not just talking about getting an education and being smart with your money. Both will always help, of course–but you need to go beyond that.
To get what you want, you need to be willing to do what most won’t.
If you want to be in the 1% (who am I kidding, even the 10%), you have to go beyond the basics of what the remaining 90% are doing.
You’re an intelligent woman, you know that.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that committing to yourself like this is going to be hard; it’s not.
If you truly care about building a rewarding life and fruitful future for yourself, you learn to love the process.
And you get to do it in your own way.
Self-investment as an intelligent woman
Forget the standard stuff you see in every other post.
Forget what you’re supposed to do.
Hey, even forget what you think you should do.
Investing in yourself as the strong, sophisticated, ambitious, and intelligent woman you are is a holistic experience.
It’s not just about your career, your finances, and your health. It’s about you as a woman, what you stand for, the mark you want to leave in this world, and how you can become the best version of yourself.
And here’s how you’re going to do it.
1. Set goals
Okay, so it might seem like we’re off to a pretty basic start, but bear with me.
Learning to be intentional is one of the best investments you could ever make in yourself.
All too often, we live on autopilot. Thinking and acting and feeling and behaving out of habit.
Continuing to live like that will only ever give you more of what you’ve got.
But when you decide to set intentions for your life, you get to start making tweaks every single day that guide you to where you want to be.
Every intention stems from a goal.
So start by deciding what you want for your life, then set the intentions that will allow you to create it.
2. Continue to educate yourself
Education and intelligence go hand in hand.
But that doesn’t mean you leave your learning skills back at your last graduation.
Committing to being a lifelong learner will change the game for you.
If you want to grow and evolve, you need to invest time, energy, and sometimes even money into your education.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a PhD or a spiritual course; it all adds up to growth.
3. Have hobbies
It’s easy to think that your professional success will come from your professional endeavors. But that’s limited thinking.
Your success as a woman comes from you. All of you.
This means investing your time in becoming a 360 threat is a must.
An impressive backhand or perfect pirouette helps you to grow mentally and physically.
Plus, you never know who you will meet at a class, lesson, club, or community.
You could make a friend for life or walk right into a career opportunity.
Either way, it’s a win-win.
And at the very least, you’re always investing in having more fun!
4. Read more
A well-read woman is always a powerful woman.
But that doesn’t mean you have to be an avid bookworm to become one.
I’m going to assume you’re somewhat bookish, because you’ve landed in my little world. So maybe for you, there’s nothing like curling up with a good book every night or whenever you can sneak a moment.
But if the last time you picked up a paperback was in school, it’s time to change that.
It really doesn’t matter if you grab the audiobook, download it on an e-reader, or even listen to the podcast version; ‘reading’ in whatever form it comes in will expand your horizons, increase your knowledge, and equip you with a wealth of talking points.
You never know when a little Proust or Rachel Cusk might come in handy at a pivotal moment.
5. Edit what you consume
Social media and, let’s be honest, the internet in general have opened up a wealth of opportunities for us all.
Without it, I wouldn’t have a career.
But boy, is it draining!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost many a day doom-scrolling.
And my creativity hates me for it.
I’m not saying not to do it, but it is wise to audit what you’re consuming.
Stay away from scaremongering news articles and tacky gossip that will pollute your mind.
Of course, it’s okay to indulge in moderation if that’s your vice of choice. But if you want to invest in yourself, you need to be smarter with what you consume.
6. Prioritize physical exercise
They say health is wealth.
I don’t know who they are, but I tend to agree with them.
Personally, I value my health more than many other things.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for a glass of champagne and a slice of pizza as much as the next Media Dahling. But I don’t live on it.
As fabulous as it sounds, my energy levels, brain cells, and waistline would hate me for it.
I’m addicted to vitality and really feel it if I get a little lax for a few days.
Investing in movement, nutrition, rest, and your general wellbeing will always pay dividends.
7. Nail the wellness basics
Speaking of which, it really is wise to make sure that you’re ticking boxes in this area.
If you want to become the best you can be–professionally and personally–you need to feel your best.
Getting enough high-quality sleep, being outside, moving your body, staying hydrated, and looking after your mind are all non-negotiables here.
Of course, you’re well within your rights to add lymphatic drainage massage and a soundbath healing ceremony to your life whenever you fancy.
But what good will that do if you’re not nailing the foundations first?
8. Spend time with the right people
Just like you need to audit what you’re consuming, it’s important to be selective about the people you spend your time with.
The people you surround yourself with influence you a lot more than you realize.
When you have things to accomplish, the last thing you need is to spend your time with people who leave you feeling drained, stressed, insecure, or less than.
You deserve to invest your time in people who add to your life.
Choose wisely.
9. Take care of your appearance
You get to be intelligent and beautiful.
Read that again.
It’s not either or. It never was.
Who says attractive women can’t be smart, ambitious, and successful too?
When you look good, you feel good. Dopamine dressing is real.
If you want to feel strong, powerful, and ready to take on the day, the right outfit can make all the difference.
Take pride in your appearance and don’t be afraid to show the world who you are.
Even if that means investing in a little tweakment or two–we’ve all done it.
And never feel guilty about keeping Chanel in business.
It’s a helluva job, but somebody’s got to do it!
10. Be financially literate
Smart girls can make financial mistakes.
Smart girls can find themselves in debt.
And smart girls can do both and still build wealth.
This smart girl did.
We don’t get finance lessons at school, but we should.
Because knowing how to earn, keep, allocate, and invest money is priceless.
Your current financial situation is irrelevant.
At any point, you can choose to change it. And it all begins by making the decision to become financially literate.
Educate yourself on everything from budgets to compound interest to share prices.
Your future self will thank you for it.
11. Network professionally
We’ve discussed clubs and hobbies and opportunities, but we also need to acknowledge the fact that networking always pays off.
It may no longer be the ’90s, but the fashion and importance of networking are both still relevant today.
Even if you, like me, are not the biggest fan of people, networking can change your life.
It really never is what you know, but who you know. And I know I’m talking a lot about investing in your knowledge, but it only goes so far.
And it’s pretty useless if all it does is stay in your mind.
It’s only powerful when you’re able to use it. And this is where meeting new people comes in.
If you’re waiting for an opportunity to come knocking–news flash–you need to actually put yourself in front of the people who will offer it to you.
12. Start a side hustle
I know, I know–it’s not 2015, but side hustles are still a thing.
I’m a huge fan of the side hustle.
(I also have a huge document full of side hustle ideas that has gone unactioned for the past seven years. But hey, the intention was there.)
When it comes to investing in yourself, side hustling is such a strong way to give yourself opportunities.
Again, nobody is going to put you on.
Nothing will be handed to you.
But if you love the idea of building a little something for yourself alongside your career, or you’re a budding entrepreneur, side hustling is your superpower.
It might be freelancing, selling something online, or even dabbling in the gig economy. Either way, starting a side hustle can help you to tick a lot of boxes on this list in one go.
Skill-building, income-boosting, connection-making, even career-enhancing, and certainly a lot of fun will come out of it.
13. Become self-aware
There are many ways that you can invest in your personal development.
Becoming the best version of yourself and growing as a person will always benefit you greatly. But one of the best things you could ever do for yourself is to become self-aware.
Self-awareness is the foundation of growth.
Of course, if you want to go all-in, you’ll want to work on your emotional intelligence in general.
But to do that, you need to know more about yourself.
So, get curious.
Start taking note of how you think, feel, and act.
If you want to change your habits or tweak some of your personality traits, that all begins by increasing your awareness.
14. Avoid toxicity
An intelligent woman doesn’t have time for toxicity.
Let that become your new mantra.
Because when you’re smart and you’ve got sh*t to do, the last thing you want is some petty drama or a narcissist to bring you down.
And bring you down, they both will.
If you’re lucky enough not to cross paths with much of either, keep doing what you’re doing.
But if you do find that you brush up with awful people or situations occasionally, you may want to audit how you spend your time and who with.
Cutting toxic people out of your life and removing yourself from toxic situations (yes, even workplaces) is the gift that keeps on giving.
You’ll wonder why you waited so long.
15. Never compromise
And for the pièce de résistance—the crème de la crème–make sure that you never settle.
Okay, so there may be occasions where you need to compromise in life. But if you’re compromising too much of yourself and what you want–particularly to keep someone else happy–something’s got to change.
If you’re serious about investing in yourself, you need to start by honouring your self-worth.
Having high standards is never a bad thing.
In fact, it will often be the catalyst that gets you to where you want to be.
So go forth, hold your head high, and refuse to settle for anything less than what you want (including champagne and a slice of pizza at least once a week!).
The importance of investing in yourself as a woman
Investing in yourself is an art.
It’s also a non-negotiable.
Many women see it as a luxury, a nice-to-have.
But if you don’t dedicate the time, energy, and money and invest in yourself, you may always fall short of your potential.
And you deserve to live the fullest, most vibrant life possible.
So take note and get to work–your future awaits.
What are the ways you like to invest in yourself? Let me know some of the things you do that add a lot of value to your life in the comments below.