Most of us are very good at putting others first. Our family, our partner, our friends. When it comes to ourselves though, we can feel guilty or even a little selfish by investing time or money into our wellbeing or happiness- that really shouldn’t be the case.
You can still invest in yourself and take care of number one, while still being a good wife, mother, friend and daughter. In fact, by making sure you’re content with life and happy, you’re able to care for others even better. Here are some of the ways you can invest in yourself, work on your self development and achieve some of your goals.
1. Learn to drive
Learning to drive takes time, effort and money. Depending on where in the world you live and the rate at which you learn, it can take a year or more of regular lessons before you have your license.
Sure, public transport is great these days and with the invention of cheap taxi services like Uber, it’s easy to convince yourself that you don’t need a car. But just because you live in a big city now doesn’t mean you always will. Just because your current job is within walking distance doesn’t mean this will always be the case. Getting your lessons done and achieving your license is always worth it, even if you don’t need to drive right now. Make the investment in yourself, if your situation changes later on and you move to a new area or get offered a job that requires you to drive then you already have it done. You might have kids later on and need a car to get them around. Plan ahead, get your license and see it is an investment in yourself.
2. Go back to school
Education is never a waste of time or money. And going back to school is a great way to boost your employability as well as enabling you to achieve your own personal goals. Have you always wanted to get to the next rung of the career ladder, or just learn more about a subject? You don’t even need to quit your job and go to university for three years these days, everything from a msw degree in social work to diplomas in marketing to masters degrees in English can be done online. This means you can do it in your free time in a flexible way.
Eat well and exercise
That membership you have to the gym really is worth the cost. The money spent on going swimming or attending sports classes too. That new bike that you want to buy? Go for it, it really is worth the money if it gets you out cycling. Not only can these things be fun but anything that gets you moving your body is a great investment in yourself. Don’t feel guilty for spending money on these things, as really, your health is the biggest investment of all. If you want to spend a little extra on organic ingredients or healthy recipe boxes then do it if you’re able to. If it’s going to get you eating better then it’s only a good thing.
