Wondering how to invest in yourself as a woman to reach your full potential?
As a kid, I watched my mom devote her time to us kids, my dad, taking care of her parents and between working two jobs. She was a superwoman!
My bet is, you are too.
With all that stuff going on, she never seemed to take time for herself. And as I started in life, I imitated my parents, always putting myself last when it came to self-care.
It was only when I started investing in myself, that great things started to happen. Things that allowed me to grow, benefiting not only me, but those I cared about.
And if you want to be the woman you’ve always dreamed of being, you will need to invest in yourself too.
What does it mean to invest in yourself as a woman?
Investments make you richer and benefit you in the long run. Investing in yourself means devoting your resources to things that will provide a favorable return.
Not all investments require money. You can invest your time and energy to yield a return too. Those returns could be relationships, experience, skills, knowledge, self-worth, self-confidence and inner peace.
Some investments will provide immediate returns. Others will require weeks, months or even years to offer dividends. The key is to have faith and continue making investments in yourself knowing eventually you will be rewarded.
A word about financial investments
There are different types of financial investments. You could invest in the stock market, CD or other type of bank account. You might also invest in an online course that would increase your knowledge.
As a boudoir photographer, women invest in my services to help them overcome body-image and self-esteem issues. By stepping out of their comfort zone and seeing themselves in a new way, they become empowered with self-confidence.
That confidence benefits them in their relationships, business and social lives. The boudoir photos also benefit them, because any time self-doubt creeps in, the images remind them they are strong, confident women.
People tend to use all sorts of excuses not to make a financial investment.
- “I can’t afford it right now …”
- “I’m broke …”
- “I might need the cash …”
- “Maybe next year …”
Many of these same people think nothing of dropping money on clothes, alcohol, eating out and entertainment.
People can afford what they value. If they don’t see the genuine value of investing in themselves, they won’t do it. You can’t just wish – you have to take action.
I’ve invested in a lot of online courses over the years. Sometimes I did it when no money was coming in, digging into my savings with the faith it was an investment. Most paid off before I even finished the courses and continue to earn me money to this day. Knowledge is power.
I’m not telling you to go out and invest all your money. If you see value and potential return, do your homework and then decide if you are willing to take the leap. Because the best investment, without your active desire and participation, will end up costing you.
How to invest in yourself as a woman
1. Invest in your mindset
If you don’t have the correct mindset, that should become priority one.
Do you suffer from self-doubt? Low-self-esteem? No confidence? Body-negativity issues? If you don’t feel beautiful and sure of yourself, you are creating roadblocks to achieveing your full potential.
Since my business is helping women overcome these roadblocks, I have a series of articles on dealing with them. Feel free to check them out and invest in your mindset!
How To Boost Your Self Confidence As A Woman
Learning To Love Your Body : 21 Steps To Embracing Your Body
Self-Love Tips – The Steps To Self-Love & Confidence
Bookmark or pin these articles on Pinterest so you can refer to them later.
2. Invest in your physical
Exercising on a regular basis is one of the best investments you can make. Your returns will be more energy, higher productivity, reduced stress and anxiety. Exercise also has the health benefits of losing weight and a greater capacity to fight off disease. It improves focus, reduces depression and I could go on. Basically, exercise is a great investment in yourself!
You don’t need to make a financial investment to exercise either. You can workout at home, take a walk, go swimming, dancing, try yoga. Not sure what to do? Educate yourself for free using Google or your favorite search engine.
Even though you know exercise will help you, there are days you just don’t feel like doing it. That happens to everyone so don’t beat yourself up over it. Instead, set a mini goal.
Psych yourself up to exercise for five minutes, that’s all. It isn’t great but 5 minutes is better than skipping exercise altogether. And you can do 5 minutes easy, then get back to what you’d rather be doing.
Once you’ve done your 5 minutes, challenge yourself to go another 5. 10 whole minutes isn’t that bad, you know you can do it. At the end of 10 minutes, you will be into your workout. You’ll feel the endorphins kicking in, heck, you can go another ten or twenty minutes.
If not, quit and know at least you got in 10 minutes you wouldn’t have.
Another way to stay on track is to have a fitness buddy. When you are doing exercise with someone else, they can encourage you on days you don’t feel like it, and you can repay the favor.
3. Invest in your education
Take a class, seminar, workshop or an online course to learn something that interests you. Maybe something that would help you at work, a hobby or skill, or even a language.
Also make it a goal to read a new book every week. It can be business, health, romance or fiction, you decide, but start reading more.
Learning is an investment in your overall growth. Taking in new content keeps your brain working on a higher level than watching television or playing video games. So make it your mission to learn something new every day!
4. Organize and declutter
This may not sound like an investment, but it is. Being organized saves you time and decluttering reduces stress and anxiety.
When my parents had to move into a retirement home, it fell on me to clean out their house. It took forever because my dad loved going to auctions and getting bargains. I swore I would never do that to my son!
Decluttering my own house was therapeutic. I got rid of things I hadn’t used in more than a year. I discovered clothes in drawers that no longer fit. I cleaned out cabinets and found stuff from the day I moved in.
My home was clean, organized and I had “space!” I sold the old things I was getting rid of and used the cash to pay off bills and credit cards.
Another benefit of all this, I was listening to podcasts and music as I cleaned. The podcasts educated me and the music lightened my soul and my mood. This process was beneficial in so many ways!
5. Goal setting
Setting goals helps you accomplish more. Throughout my life I’ve heard of the power of goals. People encouraged me to set goals and work toward them. Some goals I met, others I didn’t want bad enough to do what it took to achieve them.
I’ll share what I have learned about goal setting as an investment in yourself here.
A goal has to be meaningful and challenging to keep you motivated. It helps to clarify the goal rather than have a vague idea of what you want to achieve. I’d like to lose weight is a wish. I want to lose ten pounds before my reunion in three months is a goal.
It helps to have a positive goal rather than a negative one. As an example: “I’m going to stop eating junk food and eat healthier” is a negative goal. You are concentrating on the junk food and not setting a positive outcome. Instead frame it as, “I’m going to start eating more vegetables and fruit to be healthier.”
Use S.M.A.R.T. goals to get more accomplished. S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
Specific • Measurable • Attainable • Relevant • Time-Bound
By following S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can see how you are doing and correct course faster if needed.
Other ways to invest in yourself as a woman:
The five ways I’ve listed are an excellent start, but here are some other investment ideas for you to look into :
6. Strengthen your current skills
7. Self-reflective journaling
8. Break bad habits
9. Develop positive habits
10. Be more creative
11. Pay off debt
12. Work on your relationship with the divine
13. Take care of your health
14. Spend time with yourself
15. Invest in self-care
16. Clear up your finances
17. Start a side business
18. Invest in a coach or mentor
19. Create a positive morning ritual to start your day
20. Create an evening ritual to reflect on your day
21. Travel
22. Be selective who you spend time with
23. Maintain your appearance
24. Make time for things you enjoy
25. Nurture relationships
26. Get help when you need it
27. Show yourself compassion
28. Take breaks
29. Respect your own limits
30. Remove toxicity from your life
Investing in yourself as a woman can make a huge difference in your life. It will increase your well-being and ability to perform at your very best. How much time you invest in these endeavors will shape the way you act and react to others.
Continue to make small improvements is every area of your life possible. Your relationships will improve and you will be on your way to a better life.
Ready to start planning your Boudoir Experience?
I would love to chat with you and go over all the details of our process, sessions and what you are wanting to create so we can plan the perfect boudoir experience for you.
Ready to chat NOW?
Text me at: 410-596-4127
Office Hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.
You may also email me at: thomas@thomasboudoir.com
Or just fill out this form and I will be in touch ASAP!