Investing in yourself doesn't always have to be serious. Sometimes, it can be taking yourself out to a movie or to get a relaxing massage. Or buying a book you've been dying to read and then actually taking the time to read it. Investing in our pleasure makes us happier people, and happier people make for a happier world. Who can argue with those kinds of returns?
The idea is to never stop growing, to keep increasing our self-worth, which in turn increases our net worth. We have at our fingertips so many resources for investing in ourselves - many of them are inexpensive, even free. Libraries, adult school classes, spiritual retreats, church classes, lectures, readings and seminars, Toastmasters and other clubs and professional organizations. Even hobbies and leisure time passions such as gardening and sailing can be considered an investment worth putting time and money into, especially if these activities reward us with peace of mind, better health and more beautiful surroundings.
Sometimes, even the smallest, most insignificant investment can pay us the highest dividends. I have a friend in L.A. who grew up in abject poverty. She led a very difficult life as a teenager, having to work from the age of 13 to help out the family. Once she was in her 20's, she had worked herself into a promising job and was really laying the foundations for a successful future. But she would still not spend any money on herself.
One of the things she really wanted to do was have a French manicure. That's the kind of manicure, for you male readers, that leaves the tip of the nail white. It's a very glamorous look, and only costs about $20-25, depending on where you go. Yet this woman didn't feel she was worth the frivolous expense, not when there were so many other pressing things she needed to invest her time and money in.
During one conversation I had with her, I told her that I believed that having a French manicure could be the biggest investment she could ever make in her future. She looked at me as if I were drooling and speaking in tongues, and didn't really understand what I was telling her... until I finally talked her into getting one.
The day she got the manicure, the difference in her was amazing. That one $25 investment transformed her. She used her hands more gracefully afterwards, held her head a little prouder, and walked a little taller, all because she had chosen to make a small, but crucial investment in her self-esteem. AND that simple French manicure served as a catalyst to even more improvements she would go on to make in her appearance, her dress habits and beyond, improvements that would help boost her confidence and land her a higher-paying job at a production company she had dreamed of working for.
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