Your Most Important Investment Is Yourself
Yes, you read that right that the most important investment you can ever make is yourself.
Investments are areas in your life that you spend time, energy, and resources on to get a return in the future. Most often, people think about money when they talk about investments. The stock market, business investments, and others. All these types of investment are important but not as important as investing in yourself.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important areas you can work on this year.
Physical Health
There is no doubt that work is important. You need money to survive and be able to purchase all your basic needs. You need to earn money to provide for your family. But as you work, remember that your body has a limit. You cannot work yourself to death. That renders all your efforts useless because if you do get sick, you only end up using whatever savings you have in the hospital.
Your physical health is one of the most important investments you can focus on for the year. This is something you need to put in time and resources. It is not just signing up for a gym membership or taking off for a run. There are a lot of factors to this like visiting a doctor and getting a handle on pre-existing conditions. Watching what you eat is one of the most effective ways to help you start a healthy lifestyle.
If you eat better, your body will feel better as well. Of course, you cannot deny the fact that putting in time for exercise can also help you feel better and stronger. As you work out, your muscles get stronger and help you move your body making you more fit and agile. All these are some of the factors that can help you stay on top of your physical health.
Mental Health
The topic of mental health has been elevated during the past few years. It was a huge concern for a lot of people, especially during the pandemic. As most Americans were forced to stay at home and some even lost their jobs, they had a long time to think about their current situation. Being forced to look at your problems sometimes make people depressed.
Getting sick or seeing people you love around you catching the virus during the pandemic was also a tough experience. This can further add to your stress and lead to mental health issues. Having said that, it is crucial that you get to manage your mental health. A good first step is to try and identify triggers that negatively affect your mental health.
It can be the financial stress you are carrying now as a result of the health crisis. There could be instances where you are dealing with difficult people in your life as well. Once you figure out the triggers, you can start addressing the real issue. If it is money, find a way to either increase your income or lower your expenses. If you are stressed out with people around you, try distancing yourself from them. You get peace of mind and get to stay far away from people you don’t really like.
Financial Health
This is one of the most important investments you can also focus on this year. It can help you take on and solve a lot of the challenges you are facing right now. One of them could be debt payments. When you are financially healthy, it can mean that you have a good grasp of your finances. You are able to manage your income and expenses well.
One of the biggest obstacles people are facing coming out of the health crisis is trying to climb out of debt. Experian shared that the average household debt in 2021 was over $96,000. Yes, debt is not always a bad thing but only if it helps you reach your goals. Take your student loans for example – you get a quality education and a degree in return. This means you have a better chance of earning more when you start working.
But if most of your debt revolves around credit card purchases because of your impulsive nature, then you have a problem with your hands. You need to make sure that you get a grip on your expenses and pay off what you can. Especially if most of them have high-interest payments every month. Creating a repayment plan like debt consolidation is a great way to help you deal with your payments this year.
Common roadblocks you will encounter
As you focus on some of the most important investments this year, know that there be challenges along the way. Much like anything you do in life, there will be obstacles along the way. You can either give up or find a way through it. What you do from there will decide whether you remain stagnant or move towards your goals.
Here are a few of the roadblocks you might encounter along the way.
Feeling you do not deserve it
There are instances when you begin to spend time on some of the most important investments you can focus on this year, your mind could be working against you. It could be telling you that you are not worth whatever it is you are working on. This is a tough situation to be in because the one pushing you away from your goals is yourself.
This happens especially when you are always in self-pity and think that everyone is against you. Another attitude that can make it more challenging for you to work on your goals this year is being a pessimist. Yes, there will always be difficulties in everything we do. But focusing only on that and not on the solution can prevent you from reaching your goals.
If you are going through this, make sure you understand and appreciate the efforts you have put in. If you look back to where you were versus where you are now, then you get to see the improvements you have made. This can make you see that you are making progress and if you just keep at it, you will reach your goals.
Waiting for the perfect time
You need to understand that there is rarely a perfect time to start with a goal in mind. The best thing you can do is just start. If you want to start being a healthier version of yourself, go out for a walk. Stop worrying about getting a gym membership or buying a nice pair of shoes. Just start walking outside around the block and go from there.
If you wait for the perfect time, you could be wasting time. Just like if you want to start saving money – rather than setting a small amount now because you want to wait until your pay gets an increase, you are losing the opportunity to save now. Start with a small amount now and once you develop the habit, it gets easier as time goes by.
Constantly comparing yourself with others
One of the most important investments you can also make this year is believing in yourself. And that will be a tough thing to do when you constantly compare yourself with other people. Worst, you could also be trying to keep up with a lifestyle you cannot sustain. This is a quick way to spiral into unmanageable debt.
Before you get carried away with goals for the year, remember that the most important investment for this year is yourself. Your physical health and mental and financial health are some of the things you need to focus on.