Neglecting to invest in yourself is expensive! ??

Welcome to Quick Confidence! This weekly letter delivers a spritz of stories, tips and simple actions that will build your confidence and your power. Each quick tip bolsters confidence in your body, mind, and relationships so you can lead yourself and others to greatness.?

“I don’t have time.”?

“My money would probably be better spent somewhere else.”?

“I’m not even sure where to start.”?

Have you ever used one of these excuses to decline investing in your mental, physical or intellectual growth? I know I’ve had that last thought more times than I can count.?

Justifications like these often emphasize practical roadblocks, but I’d argue the real barrier to investing in yourself is deeper – and more personal.

It’s about the “worth-it” factor: believing you’re worth-it-enough to spend money and time on. And, that your growth and evolution deserve dedicated energy!?

Well, I’m here to give you a powerful reason to challenge those “someday I’ll get to it” thoughts and to start investing in yourself today:?

Because no one. Else. Will!

Case in point, I remember a strong urge as a beginner entrepreneur to do *everything* myself: to DIY my invoicing process, to attempt smaller graphic design jobs, and to bootstrap my own data analysis, leading to long and tedious nights. I hesitated to get the help I needed to burnish or invest in my best skills.?

And you know what? When I finally hired an assistant, it felt amazing! I got to research and invest in some of the skills that matter most to me through public speaking coaching and training, rather than focus on business operations. I still remember hearing the relief in my exhale: “Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

What about you? What training, experience or action could boost what you can do today??

Whether you’ve just graduated college, you’re in a mid-level position, or you’re at the top of your game – investing in your development is the single most important thing you can do to keep your skills and your mind fresh and engaged.

It not only ups your self-confidence, it’ll bring a new kind of A-game to your job performance.

Today’s Quick Confidence is dedicated to three methods for investing in your success!

Quick Confidence Tips to Investing in Yourself:

1. Embodied: Carve out a learning habit. No matter how you plan to learn (classes, keynote speeches on YouTube, online coaching, certifications) you will go further if you habituate it. For me, it helps to have a physical routine to go along with my self-investment habit. For example, when I take a module of the digital marketing course I purchased, I do it at the same time each week, on the same day, and I make myself a nice cup of coffee before digging in. What kind of muscle memory could you build into making your learning a repeated habit? And what small pleasure could you add to your habit to acknowledge and thank yourself for the great thing you’re doing?!
2. Interpersonal: Find your supportive community. Even the most daunting goal is that much more achievable when you have the energy of a good group around you. Whether you want to learn how to sail, or learn to code, or enlist a personal trainer, think about what groups exist to support you in that plan. Is it a Facebook group you can learn from? A group that meets in person to train together? Maybe there isn’t a group yet but there’s a chance for you to propose a new one! Right now, decide that you will make an effort to integrate your goal together with others by joining, initiating or introducing yourself to at least one group. The relationships that you develop throughout that journey can fuel your enjoyment and learning - and act as major motivators!
3. Mindset: Remember that every investment gets you closer to where you want to be. Spending time, money, and energy on yourself can be difficult. You might think a particular self-investment will be just a drop in the bucket of bring your *big goal* to fruition. I want to give you a firm reminder that your investment today may feel small, but it will add up. With some momentum, it WILL result in a change and improvement. So focus on small, consistent gains (rather than waiting for inspiration to strike or expecting overnight success). Every time you take even one little step forward to invest in your success, you get closer to becoming who and what you want to be.?

Once you start investing in yourself, you are going to wish you started sooner! You will likely see yourself rising in new ways, branching out into new areas of success, and maybe even cashing larger paychecks. Sounds more than worth it to me!

I’d love to hear from you… why haven’t you started investing in yourself yet? Is there something holding you back? When was a time you made a risky self-investment and it totally paid off? Share your thoughts on self-investment!

My self-advocacy course equips you to be, well, your own self-advocate!

You’ll learn how to amplify your voice by being prepared for obvious and less obvious scenarios. Discover how to recognize opportunities to back yourself, just like I shared in my 'turn their no into a yes' story. Click here to get the course. As a LinkedIn Learning author, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.