The term invest is closely associated with the word money. However, it is not the only one. Investing is defined as putting money, time, effort, or other resources into something in order to profit or gain an advantage. I believe that intelligent hope is at the heart of investing.
We make contributions in the hope that they will reap benefits in the future and result in a much better outcome than if we did not.
Isn’t money investment a well-known and straightforward method?
We’ve all heard of it through real estate, mutual funds, stocks, gold, and so on. What about us, though? What can you do to invest in yourself?
Let’s get started.

What does it mean to invest in yourself? Just above, we had a simple explanation for the word invest. Let’s use it to understand what it would mean in our context. Here’s my opinion: Investing in yourself entails devoting time, energy, and focus to activities that will mould you into a happy, peaceful, wise, and successful individual. Please keep in mind that by success, I don’t just mean professional success, but also success in living a fulfilling life as a good person. Keep in mind that this is not just for teenagers. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago,” says an ancient Chinese proverb. Now is the second best time.”

Yes, it’s important to form good habits when you’re young, but that’s no reason not to do it now, at any age. It isn’t too late. Let us break free from the mental prisons we have built for ourselves. And now, let us look at how we can start investing in ourselves. I have many suggestions. Don’t be intimidated by it. You have the ability to do a lot, but you are not required to do it all. Take it one at a time. Choose the easiest option to begin with and then progress to the next.

How to Make an Investment in Yourself
Make yourself grateful.
Talk to yourself kindly
Make contact with your breath.
Look within your soul
Consider becoming more ethical.
Focus on what truly matters
Maintain contact with friends.
Continue to learn
Drink plenty of water.
Exercise on a regular basis.
Maintain your interests.
Have the guts to let go.
Keep memories safe.
Allow yourself opportunities.

1. Learn to be grateful.
   A grateful person is more than someone who shares gratitude quotes, thanks people when they help them, and always speaks positively. A grateful person is fundamentally humble and active.
   They are humble because they realise how much more they are supported than they realise. Everything we can do and learn comes from the assistance of others, whether they are other humans, animals, or the environment. This humility motivates grateful people to take action. People who are grateful are more helpful, altruistic, and compassionate in other words, they are more prosocial. They are more compassionate and sensitive to the suffering of others. These characteristics make them valuable assets to the planet. And gratitude leads to happiness. Isn’t that what everyone wants? Becoming an actively grateful person is the best thing that you can do to live happily. Keeping a gratitude journal is one activity I recommend for this. This will help you practise gratitude and reshape your perspective on life and its moments.
2. Be kind to yourself.
   Let’s get one thing straight: talking to yourself kindly does not imply being unaccountable or unrealistic. It’s far more beneficial than that. The way you talk to yourself affects your relationship with yourself and how you respond to situations. Kindness is not a frivolous act. It is beneficial to reason with yourself and reach useful conclusions. Positive affirmations are an excellent way to practise this. Affirmations that are positive train your mind to become a caring, hopeful, and wise friend. I’ll give you an example: I’m not feeling well right now. I am doubtful of my abilities and have disappointed someone. “I’ve ruined this,” I thought at first. I’m not doing very well. “What’s the matter with me?” But then, as is my habit, I paused and wondered if this was really what was going on. “Although I could’ve done better, I now know how,” I think. I’m glad I have someone to help me. This is one of the ways I’ll learn more.” Positive self-talk not only comforts you, but it also encourages you to think constructively. When has it ever been beneficial to demotivate yourself? People do their best when they are appreciated, understood, and trusted.
3. Make contact with your breath
   I’m sure you’re aware of it; we all are. I am currently breathing, as are you. But how aware are we of the fact that our breath is a sign of life? Deep breathing, also known as Diaphragmatic breathing, is a practise that helps us connect to our bodies as well as the present moment. It also has a number of proven health benefits. Among them are:
   Stress reduction
   Reduces high blood pressure
   boosts immunity
   Deep breathing does not come naturally to us, so it will require regular practise. To begin, take one minute out of your day when you know you will be alone and do some deep breathing.
4. Reflection
   I’ve discovered that reflecting and introspecting with yourself can be extremely beneficial in guiding our decisions. These days, everything seems rushed, reactive, and automatic. Time passes without pause. Let’s get to know each other. Introspection is the process of looking within to examine one’s own thoughts and emotions. It contributes to personal knowledge in a way that nothing else can. It also assists us in making connections and realisations about experiences that we would not have made otherwise. With these self-reflection prompts, you can get started with introspection.
5. Improve your ethical standards
   Because we all share this planet, we all have a responsibility to one another. Investing in the good of others is an extension of investing in yourself because we are all interconnected. So, sensitise yourself to become more ethical. I’ve always believed that sensitive people are extremely strong. Let us connect with the issues and suffering that other people, animals, and the environment face. Let us understand it and do everything we can to improve it. As you work to make the world a better place, you will be rewarded with the opportunity to live in it.
6. Concentrate on what truly matters
   The simple solution to living a more peaceful life is to devote your time, energy, and attention to what truly matters. This includes spending more time with the people you care about, spending less time scrolling through Instagram, setting boundaries, being in nature, working for something you believe in, making personal choices that you want to make (rather than those dictated by others), and taking care of your health.
7. Stay in touch with friends
   We talk less and less with our friends as we get older. At the very least, I’ve gone from seeing my best friends every day to occasionally sending messages on WhatsApp. Some people have it once every couple of months. And it’s not like I don’t think about them. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for our communication breakdown, but it’s something I want to work on.
   So now I just send random audio messages, photos, and texts whenever they come to mind. Almost all of my friends now live in different cities, so this is a great way to start a conversation. We find out what’s going on, and I’m glad to invest in my lovely relationships. Also, by friends, I mean family members such as aunts and cousins. Keep in touch with the people you care about. Time passes, and we later wish we had taken these steps.
8. Continue to learn
   In terms of information accessibility, we live in a golden age.
   Platforms like Coursera, YouTube, Skillshare, and countless others are fantastic places to learn about a plethora of topics. I am truly astounded at how simple it has become. So, let us embrace this extraordinary gift and continue to learn. Be it about skills you want to try out or learn about sustainable development or astronomy, you have it all at the reach of your fingertips.
9. Drink plenty of water
   That is something I am now very focused on. For some reason, I’ve always been a camel in civilization. I either forgot to drink water or didn’t like it. But now I’m taking things seriously. I’m using my water tracker to help me drink 8 glasses of water per day.
10. Exercise regularly
    Another piece of advice that we are all familiar with. If your job requires you to be particularly sedentary, please set aside at least 10 minutes each day to exercise that is the bare minimum. Take care of your eyes as well. We are spending an increasing amount of time looking at screens, taking frequent breaks, looking at greenery, and doing eye exercises.
11. Maintain your interests
    As other priorities take precedence, keep in touch with what you enjoy doing. As for me, I enjoy being around animals, hand-lettering, and watching shows that I enjoy. It gets hectic at times, or I simply forget to do them. But I make time for them on purpose. It’s also delightful! According to research, hobbies can help us reduce stress, improve our well-being, and improve our mental health.

12. Have the strength to let go.
    Having the courage to let go is one of the most beneficial investments you can make in yourself. Allow yourself to let go of resentment, draining friendships, bad habits, anger, expectations, comparison, unhelpful desires, people-pleasing, and other negative emotions. Which aspect of your life or yourself do you believe you should let go of in order to find more peace?
13. Save memories
    Take pictures of sweet moments, write in your journal, write letters to your future self, print photo albums, record videos of your parents laughing, and save these memories for later. We forget these beautiful moments so quickly; let us keep them in our memories.
14. Give yourself opportunities
    Invest in your strong ideas and dreams to truly invest in yourself. Invest in yourself to become a better person. Allow yourself the opportunity to pursue that dream you’ve always wanted. If you’re in a bad situation, give yourself a chance to get out of it.
    Never stop striving to be the healthiest you can be for yourself and the world. That’s all there is to it!

These are my 14 suggestions for investing in yourself. I wish you a happy life, one in which you not only create a good life for yourself, but also for others and the world.
Have a wonderful day!

Hi, I’m Garima and I write about life experiences. I have several books available on Amazon. Check them out today! Any purchases or KDP reads will be greatly appreciated. If you like my books, do leave a review. Here’s my author page on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0BQDZXYNV