Who Or What Will You Invest More In This Year?
When we think about the word “invest”, we often think about money, or we think about investing time or energy into a person or project with the expectation of a return or getting something out of it. We all want a return on our investment. No one wants to put valuable resources into something and have nothing to show for it. We also don’t want to invest in things that are not worthwhile. We would be deemed crazy if we invested or poured our time and resources into something of little to no value, or something that wasn’t going to last or had no long-term benefit.
Well, call us crazy. How often do we invest time and energy into worrying about things we can do absolutely nothing about? How often do we neglect ourselves and our well-being, our children and family, and instead invest our resources into something that doesn’t matter nearly as much? Don’t we know people who spend time and energy arguing about things that won’t matter a week, a month, or a year from now? Moreover, how often do we spend time competing or comparing ourselves and our lives with people who have no idea we are competing or comparing? What value or benefit is there in doing those things?
We are our greatest asset. Closely following are our relationships. We and our relationships are our most valuable assets, but we spend very little time investing in, building upon, and making them better. You are indeed worth every resource you have to invest, no matter how much or how little you feel like you have.
By now, you probably know that I use pneumonics to help reinforce new concepts. I’m using the pneumonic I.N.V.E.S.T. as a guide to help you remember things to consider if you are going to commit to investing in yourself and your relationships this year.
The very first thing we want to think about is the use of I-Statements.
I-statements. I statements are a good way to reduce blame and tension, honor your truth, and take ownership of your life, your feelings, and your actions. You want to use more I-statements in your communication, especially when you are expressing what you want or need or don’t need or want. A lot of times when we don’t use I-statements, we are giving other people or things power over us. For example, you’ve heard people say you make me sick, you get on my nerves, you made me late, that drives me crazy, people need to xyz, and so on. Your actions or wellbeing doesn’t have to depend on another person’s response or actions.
I also encourage the use of I statements in positive affirmations daily. One I typically use is “I am wealthy, healthy, and whole; I receive divine direction daily; I am confident and blessed, and I confidently bless others.”
Next, you want to get comfortable with the word No.
No. You want to say no to things that are less important so you can say yes to things that are most important. Isn’t it something how we give all our energy away every day and wonder why we feel fatigue, burn out, or unproductive? Then, we get mad when people treat us how we allow them to treat us, and how we often treat ourselves. Let’s practice self-preservation this month. There is a difference between self-preservation and selfishness. Selfishness is saying no for the sake of saying no; only thinking about yourself and not about anyone else. Self-preservation involves setting limits and boundaries to preserve your energy and your existence, so you can be the best you can be for yourself and for the people you love. Practice self-preservation. And sometimes, we have to say no to ourselves. --Read that part again.-- I learned that lesson 10 years ago, and every now and then, I have to remind myself that I’m saying no to this (whether it is some type of food or a relationship I don’t need), so I can say yes to what I really want. What might you need to say no to? Saying no doesn’t mean you have to be negative Nancy or negative Nathaniel. Neither does it mean you should avoid collaborating or doing things for people, but consider: is what I’m agreeing to do or is what I’m saying yes to getting me closer to my goal or helping me invest in myself and other things that matter. If its not, you might want to say no.
The V in I.N.V.E.S.T. encourages us to consider our values.
Values. When you know what’s important to you, you’re less likely to be distracted by things that aren’t. What are your top 5-7 values? Are the things you’re doing, thinking, saying, or believing, aligning with what you say you value? Are your choices or the way you are using your time and energy getting you closer to where you want to be in life or is it moving you further away? Try to make sure your actions are in alignment with your values and the things that you want in life.
The E in I.N.V.E.S.T. instructs us to explore.
Explore. Explore something new either with someone else or by yourself. This might be learning something new, starting a new relationship, gaining a new experience, trying something different, going somewhere new, or doing something to broaden your life. We are creatures of habit and for some of us, it’s hard to try new things, but consider how your life might be enhanced by doing this. I promise you it will. With the way the world is set up today, you don’t need money to invest in yourself by exploring new things. Start small or take baby steps, but start exploring. Now, if you are not sure who you are, what you want out of life, or where you’re going, step back and start your self-exploration to figure that out first.
The S in I.N.V.E.S.T. encourages us to build upon our strengths and supports.
Strengths and Supports. What are your superpowers? What are you pretty good at? If you don’t know what your strengths are, take a moment to think about those as soon as you can or take a free strengths assessment. And, where can you find support or who can support you on your journey of investing in yourself? Consider natural strengths and supports and faith-based strengths as well. These are things like social connectedness, professional or community organizations you can join, prayer, communicating, listening, choosing your battles, being positive, and so on. Your strengths will help carry you and get you out of hard spots if you work from your strengths instead of against your strengths. More often than not, we don’t consider, or we forget about our strengths in crises and tough situations. When you are in a tight spot or tough situation, think about solution-focused responses, in which you focus on a solution instead of obsessing over or feeding into the problem. That is a beneficial strength to put into practice.
Finally, the T in I.N.V.E..S.T. stands for time.
Time. What are you doing with your time? Be forever conscious of this. Time is one of our most valuable resources. When we use it, we can’t get it back. It’s gone. Time is moving so fast these days, and it will continue to move forward regardless if you do what you need to do with it or not. So, if you want to start that business, go back to school, or invest in yourself, your kids or your family, time will not wait for you to do so. Consider, what do I want to accomplish with my life, and if that’s too overwhelming, consider what you want to accomplish today? When you decide what to do or how you want to invest, ask yourself is this time well spent?
In addition, take the time you need to rest and reset daily. This might mean engaging in a 10-minute mediation or prayer or a 10-day detox, pausing for 10 second before speaking when you are frustrated, or taking 10 minutes for yourself to check in or relax. You can change your life in 10 seconds, 10 minutes, 10 hours, or 10 days. What are you doing with your time?
All these things will help as you move forward in this journey. As you consider how you can invest in yourself or others, or who or what you want to invest in, use this pneumonic I.N.V.E.S.T. as a guide to help you stay focused and get it done.
To learn more or to work more in depth through some of these points, schedule a free consult or use the contact me link at intentionallifeconsults.com.
