Invest in Yourself
by Trudy Hill
We seem to have no qualms in investing in our careers, investing in our companies, our employees, our properties, finances, friends and families, but for some reason investing in ourselves seems to be something we are all a little less prone to thinking about. Investing in ourselves is more than just devoting time and money to our appearance, our wardrobe and our physical fitness and health, yet probably because these are concrete investments through which we can physically see results we don't think past them as more obvious ways of looking after and nurturing who we are. The most neglected areas of 'us' are usually related to our emotional and psychological wellbeing, and our self-esteem: our perception of the only real asset we have - OURSELVES!
In today's climate it has become more important to learn about ourselves, how emotions work and how to manage them. Uncertain times and fast-changing circumstances have led to upsurges in emotional problems and because we traditionally haven't invested in the tools needed to deal with these, there is also a rise in depression, anxiety disorders, anger problems and other emotional difficulties... all making the right psychological information, presented in the right way, totally invaluable.
According to one branch of psychology there are five basic human needs, and these needs are in a particular order. When you feel that one need is complete then you can build upon that base to fulfil another need. At the base of this hierarchy is the need for survival. Second, you need to feel safe from harm and live in a stable environment. In today's climate we may not feel like these needs are met, but if we are lucky enough to be in the small percentage of people in the World who are not affected by war, famine etc... then we need to realise these needs are usually more than met and move forward to dedicating time to meet our other essential but higher level needs.
According to psychologists, once these basic survival and safety needs are all fulfilled we all need (rather than should) to focus on our higher level needs and direct our energies toward love, acceptance, and being a part of a group as well as improving our self-esteem. All humans have a need to have self-esteem, self-respect, and respect. Imbalances at this level can result in low self-esteem or an inferiority complex. People with low self-esteem need respect from others but we should have tools to accept ourselves fully without external verification. Rarely do we understand this and instead we focus on comparing ourselves to others, who they are and what they have (a very dangerous thing to do when we live in uncertain times and we know that what we own can easily not be permanent). The trick is to gain the tools to judge yourself internally as a person and against your own values, rather than externally as a collector of assets.
It doesn't stop there either, as once we achieve this we aspire to fulfil the final need to be well-rounded and internally happy: we need to invest in becoming self-actualized. This is the highest need and relates to feeling fulfilled in what you do and why that is, unthreatened by life and the unknown, and to maintaining a very delicate balance of values in all the main areas of your life. Rarely do people who do not invest in themselves even understand what their own core values are. Yet to be truly happy and able to 'weather storms' well, you need a life centred on your true values.
It is often the higher-level needs that we neglect at times to the expense of lower level needs which we have failed to realise are already met. Life-coaching can help you turn things around so you invest time in gaining tools and positivity that can be used at all levels.
The Seventy Thirty Power Day has been a fantastic platform for clients who have not previously invested in their psychological well-being to the extent that they have in the other areas of their lives. I have heard many clients say they are working harder than ever to keep their current job or business alive, but the time this takes leaves other areas of their life wanting. Of course we only have so many resources as human beings, and to a certain extent some imbalance is inevitable in tough times... BUT those who have already, or choose now, to invest some of that time and energy in themselves and their self-esteem will find dealing with these tough times much easier. It is primarily because they are now equipped with all the tools they need. In the same way that running a business is easier without a severe lack of resources, so is running your own internal life!
Given that so many of my Seventy Thirty clients have extremely successful work and financial lives it makes good sense to highlight how they can apply the same principles that have contributed to this success, to their personal lives and emotions.
We constantly talk about, or see and hear in the press and media, "invest in property, in the stock market, in collectibles, invest in your pension etc. etc." However, we fail to understand that one of the best and long-lasting investments we can ever make is to invest in our personal selves. Regardless of the area of your life that you feel needs the most focus, personal development comes from setting goals, actions, feedback, and positive thinking. In life-coaching and through the Power Day you start to build a personal reserve. A reserve means you have far more than you need emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. It means living from a place of abundance and sustainability. You will have fewer worries, more choice, and a sense of command over your present and future: you will gain the ability to deal with emergencies and difficult situations without taking 10 steps backwards in another area of your life.
Trudy Hill is a Psychologist and Health & Success Coach