Do you want to have a better future? One thing you should do for that is investing. That means making some sacrifice now (e.g. setting aside a portion of your income) for a greater reward in the future (e.g. your retirement fund).
The best investment, however, is not a financial instrument. The best investment is yourself.
Many people invest financially but forget to invest in themselves. As a result, they don’t reach their full potential. That’s why it’s important that you invest in yourself and do it the right way.
To do it right, you should invest in the five aspects of life:
- Work/Finance: your career and finance.
- Health: your physical health.
- Learning: your personal development.
- Social: your relationships with others.
- Spiritual: your relationship with God.
There is an investing strategy called ‘dollar cost averaging’ where you invest a fixed amount of money regularly regardless of how the market is doing. It’s simple, but it’s proven to work well over time.
You should do something similar to invest in your life. How? By building the right habits. Habits are like ‘dollar cost averaging’: you invest regularly in a certain aspect of your life regardless of how you feel.
To invest in your life, build the right habits in the five aspects of life.
The magic of investing lies in compounding. Investing just a little for a long time will amount to much. Similarly, you might do just simple things daily, but over time, you will be surprised by how far you have gone.
How do you do that? Here are some ideas on how you can invest in the five aspects of life.
1. Work/Finance
This is where you invest financially. Here you build a cushion in your personal finance while also preparing for the future. This article has more information on how to do it.
2. Health
The key things for your physical health are exercise, rest, and diet. So build the exercise habit, sleep well, and eat healthily.
3. Learning
When it comes to learning, curiosity is the fuel. The more curious you are, the further you will go. So develop curiosity in your life and the habit of learning will happen naturally.
4. Social
For your social aspect, the most important part, of course, is your family. Make sure that you spend enough quality time with them. Eat together whenever possible.
But you should also invest in your social connections. Join a community and contribute there.
5. Spiritual
Spirituality plays an important role in optimizing your life. In fact, I believe that it’s the most important aspect. It’s the foundation upon which all the other aspects are built. So build spiritual habits such as praying and reading spiritual texts.
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Investing doesn’t give you an immediate return. You might not feel the difference right away. But keep on investing in yourself and you will be on your way to reaching your full potential.
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I appreciated your article today, thank you. Investing in yourself is a core belief for me. I stopped playing video games after 4-year addiction. I knew it was a waste of time and have dreams I want to fulfill. I know to invest 10% of income always. I understand how important health is, and I’ve experienced the consequences of not being spiritual. I believe prayer is essential for survival, but it provides much further than that -only limited by thoughts. The primary thing I lack is the social aspect of investing. I figured back then I could get more done if I didn’t socialize, which I did, but now I’m faced with social anxiety low confidence! That went on for about eight years. We need to take care of ourselves.
Hi Micah,
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I’m glad it has been a core belief for you.
As for the aspect that you haven’t invested in, it’s okay, it’s never too late to invest there.
It was an interesting topic and came about a time when I started investing in my life. All these years I have never thought about myself, it was about others in my life. It couldn’t have come at a better time in my life, now I don’t have to feel guilty of me time.
Hi Gladwyn,
Good to know that it came at the right time for you! Yes, you need to take care of yourself so that you can better take care of others.
Thank you very much sir. The article was helpful and the paramount ways to invest in oneself, and am happy finding spirituality the most needful. Thank you and God bless you.
My pleasure, Taylor!
Hello Micah,
People believe that learning ends in college. Little do they realize that the successful people immerse themselves in a lifelong journey of learning. I ensure I spend a couple of hours everyday irrespective of my daily schedule. Your post convinced me that I am on the track.
Nicely written article. Thanks