1. “I shouldn’t` spend money on myself”
I recently had a conversation about my life coach certification training. I was asked how much it cost to become certified. I didn’t have a problem sharing this information, but the other person was shocked at the number. They immediately almost scolded me saying that it was too much. The encounter was very strange to me because I do not see the certification training as an expense. I see it as an investment. I chose the certification program that I did for the value that I saw in it. I have invested much more in previous education, in the stock market, and in real estate. Most people are fine with investing large amounts of money into buying a home or even a car, yet will balk at spending money investing in themselves. So, I want to talk about the value of investing in yourself.
I am a firm believer in investing in things that will improve your quality of life. When I say improve the quality of your life, I do not mean buying “stuff”. There are plenty of people sitting in mansions being completely miserable. I mean making investments that improve your overall well-being and experience of life in a more permanent way. Buying a pair of Louboutins might bring a temporary delight, but it will not improve your overall quality of life in any lasting way.
An example of this in my own life is with coaching. I have invested a lot in coaching. Both in being trained as a coach and having my own coach. The cost is high, but the value is even higher. Even if I never made any money as a life coach, I would still consider my investment worth it. Because I have gained skills and knowledge that have improved my daily quality of life.
- I have gained more happiness.
- I have gained more peace.
- I have gained the ability to manage my own mind and choose my thoughts and beliefs on purpose.
- I have gained the ability to achieve all of my goals.
- I have gained the ability to be happy no matter what my circumstances are.
- I have gained a great relationship with my partner.
- I have gained more freedom and lightness than I have ever had before.
- I have lost reactivity.
- I have lost the fears I previously held on to about ending up in a bad relationship again or being abused by others.
- I have lost limiting beliefs.
Those are things that I will get to keep for the rest of my life. The rest of my life is better because of the investment that I made in myself and my emotional and mental well-being.
. . .
I also find investing in physical health to have huge returns as well. Yoga studio membership costs can be high, but the value is even higher. The returns I got from yoga were: increased flexibility, improved health, greater mental clarity, and more peace of mind. These things were more than worth what the cost of the yoga was to me.
We tend to take our health for granted, but once your health is gone nothing else really matters. Investing in my health is a way to keep my quality of life high for my entire life.
People who do not invest in themselves are essentially signaling to themselves that they are not worth it. They are not treating their lives as if they are worth investing in. They are settling for less.
It is also important not to mistake feelings of prestige as having a higher quality of life. Holding on to that prestigious feeling is a hamster wheel of continual spending on various status symbols. It is not lasting on its own.
Feelings of prestige do not hold the same warmth as the feelings of happiness and peace. Chasing prestige requires constant maintenance and comparison to others. Comparison to others will always rob you of happiness.
For this reason, I usually do not include buying “stuff” as an investment in a higher quality of life. A higher quality of life is usually connected to yourself and not to an external object.
2. “It’s too expensive”
What good investments have in common is a value that is higher than the cost. Something can have a high cost but a low value. Going back to the Louboutins, that is something that has a high cost, but a low value. The Louboutins might look pretty, but they will eventually wear out and will probably hurt your feet when you wear them. They will not bring you value for the rest of your life. The positive effects you receive from them are temporary and fleeting. That said, there is nothing wrong with buying Louboutins, but it is important to distinguish what kinds of things you are spending money on and recognize the relationship of cost versus value.
Recognizing that cost does not equal value can be a game changer for your quality of life. It leads to spending money on things that improve the quality of life and lessens the desire to spend on things that eventually leave you feeling empty and wanting more. What’s more is I have never had buyer’s remorse on a high value purchase. The remorse only comes when we think the cost might be higher than the value. When the value is greater than the cost you are actually getting a bargain. It is only when the value is lower than the cost that it is truly “expensive”.
I will never stop investing in myself. I only have this one life to live and I want it to be the best it can possibly be.
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This post was previously published on Change Becomes You.
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