“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 Sharma

Each week, I end my Podcast and Blog with, “Remember You are the best investment you can make.”  This week I thought we should discuss why this statement is true and why it applies to everyone!

The reason you are your best investment is because you were born to be significant. As you live a life of significance, you empower others in their significance. In other words, YOU carry worth, greatness and value and what you do impacts others. You are an influencer for the time you live in.

Recently, I was telling my daughter, Katie, how proud I was of the success she has had in her business. She owns a hair salon and had just invested in training to expand her hair extension business. She said within the first three weeks she had met her 1st quarter goal. WOW!

Katie shared that she remembers when her dad and I told her that I was quitting my corporate job and starting my consulting business. That moment was a defining time and one of the major influencers that has empowered her business. Just as a frame of reference, Katie was in elementary school when I started my business.

Why is it important to invest in yourself?

• Self-Investment empowers others. As I shared, when I invested in my business it gave my daughter a framework for her future. Also, self-investment opens up possibilities others might not have considered. And it gives them a role model to follow.
• Self-Investment brings greater meaning to your life. A recent survey states 9 out of 10 Americans are NOT living their dream. My belief is, this is due to the lack of grasping the importance of investing in yourself.
• Self-Investment identifies barriers, which keep you from moving forward. As I began investing in my dreams I found several barriers I had to knock down in order to live my dream. One of them was I was afraid to fail!

What are the steps you can take to get started?

• Start by investing time in yourself each week. It could be as little as 10 minutes a day.
• Trust your instincts on what you need in this season.
• Give yourself permission to take the time.
• Do not allow yourself to consider it a waste of time.

For example:

• Take a walk.
• Read.
• Watch a “How to” YouTube video. They are free and cover all kind of subjects: creative writing, drawing, learning a new language, starting a business, etc.
• Take an online class. These are usually less expensive and you can do it at your own pace.
• Build a new relationship and/or strengthen current ones.

Begin to track your time. By tracking your time you will be able to understand where your time goes. This tracking will also give you perspective over what you could eliminate to have more time to invest in you.

I do this with every client. Once they have completed the two-week tracking, then we analyze where their time is going. From this, they have the understanding where their time is spent. Then they have freedom to reallocate their time.

Quick Stat: 2+ Hours are spent on Social Media per day — Global Web Index¹

• Set goals to increase the amount of time and resources allocated to self-investing.

There were many times I felt guilty for spending money on myself, even if it would bring additional income in the future. I learned the hard way after wasting months trying to build my own website. Finally, a friend of mine knocked some sense in me. I took the leap and hired a firm to build it for me — one of my best business investments.

One of the best investment I made was taking a writing class. It was in North Carolina and the financial investment was significant. I had never spent that kind of money on me — it was well worth it! Since the class I have written 3 books and will soon complete another one.

Several other benefits came from this initial investment.

• My passion for writing became abundantly clear.
• My confidence in my ability to write increased.
• My skills continued to sharpen, which enables me to write blogs, speeches, articles, training classes and podcasts with content that helps others.

One investment has improved my life and is now influencing the lives of others!

In closing, you are worth the investment! Now is the time to see the significance you carry for yourself and for others around you.

Question: What self-investment have you made?

I would love to hear from you. Leave your comment on my Facebook page by clicking here: CindyStewart or send me an email at cindy@Cindy-Stewart.com

If you want individual help through this process fill out the Connection Form.

Remember, you are the best investment you can make.

Before I sign off, I have to tell you about my new online class:

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• Learn to Prioritize Your Dreams
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• Learn to Recognize Opportunities

In as little as an 30 minutes a day, you will learn to design the life you have been dreaming about.

¹ https://blog.globalwebindex.net/chart-of-the-day/daily-time-spent-on-social-networks/ accessed 1.15.18