Everyone has dreams and everyone wants to succeed at something. Some people put in consistent effort toward clear goals, which gives their dreams a chance. Others never really try hard and their dreams remain a fantasy. Then, there is another group of people that take action, stop, and then repeat that cycle over and over again. We have all been in each of these categories at one point or another.

However, in today’s post, we are going to zoom in on the specific goals where we might struggle to maintain consistent meaningful action. The truth: there might be a deeper reason you are struggling to take action and consistently invest in yourself.

Before we dive further, I want to acknowledge that there are many practical factors like time, physical and/or mental health struggles, and even access to resources, that can interfere with our ability to consistently invest in ourselves the way we might want to. Some of these factors are outside of our control, and there are elements of each that are within our control. For this post, we are going to focus on areas that are within our control.

Affirmations: I am worthy of personal investment. I put forth effort and energy into myself and my life. I am not just living aimlessly; I live with intention.

What does it look like to invest in myself?

What better place to start than the good old dictionary. “Invest” means to devote time, action, and/or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a positive, profitable, or worthwhile result.

The two words that stick out to me the most in this definition are “devote” and “expectation.”

Most people who invest in the stock market or a company/business do so with the hope and expectation that there will be a profitable outcome. Therefore, they devote resources and energy as an investment.

What would it look like for us to approach areas of our lives with this same devotion and expectation?

Note: There is a wide range of investments we can make in ourselves such as time, energy, resources, learning, exercise, rest, focus, and more. Each of us has different areas that require greater investment in one of those elements.

One Reason You Might Struggle to Invest In Yourself

It is much easier to invest in something external and/or someone else. But, do you have enough self-love to devote that same amount of energy and resources to yourself?

One of the reasons you might struggle to consistently invest in yourself is a lack of self-love and positive self-image.

Reflect on your answer to these questions:

• Do you have the expectation that you are going to succeed and have a positive outcome if you invest in yourself and pursue that goal?
• Do you believe that you are worthy of that goal?
• Are you able to see yourself positively and completely as the improved version of yourself experiencing and living that goal?

We all want to succeed at something. Everyone has goals and/or big dreams for their life living inside them. Some dreams/goals are spoken and others we keep to ourselves. Do you love yourself enough to believe you are worthy of trying or having that goal? Is the reason you have not put an effort toward that goal because your current self-image can’t envision you living successfully or sustainably in or with that new goal?

If the answer to these questions is NO, then you have a little self-love work to do.

You Are Worth the Investment

There are many things in this life that we spend a lot of energy fighting for. We fight for success, safety, approval, acceptance, people, love, and to survive. If you really think about it, most of what we’ve acquired in life that has been worth anything has been due to hard work and effort. So, why not fight for yourself? You are worth the investment of time, resources, effort, and focus into yourself.

I know that life has brought some challenges that led to a lot of self-doubt, disappointment, and negative thinking. You might be tired of investing in yourself or maybe you did not recognize until now that you stopped loving yourself as deeply as you once had. Love is expressed through words AND actions. What have you been saying to yourself lately? What do your actions toward yourself reveal about how much you believe you are worthy of personal investment?

Self-love is worth fighting for because it is the fuel and personal power we need to pursue and keep pursuing our personal freedom and individual success. The more we operate from a place of self-love the more we will make personal choices for our lives that truly reflect our personal significance. It will also allow us to walk more in our authenticity. 

How Can I Work on My Self-Love?

I want to make sure that I am distinguishing between self-care and self-love in this post.

• Self-care is the act of nurturing our physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual health. Self-care is important and driven by our degree of self-love.
• Self-love blooms out of what we believe about ourselves. It is the ability to continually offer yourself, unconditional positive regard, to treat yourself with love, and the ability to apply both patience and perseverance to protect and honor your authentic self. This also includes whether we continue to extend love to ourselves when we feel like life is not the best and when we feel like the worst possible version of ourselves. 

In the end, we love ourselves to the level of how we view ourselves and based on what we believe about ourselves. If you believe the worst about yourself, then you will love yourself based on that belief. If you believe you are beautiful and worthy of experiencing great things and love, then you will treat yourself according to that level of belief.

Ways/areas to work on your self-love:

• It is reflected in how you pursue life: What have you stopped pursuing? Health? Goals? Love? Rest? Why have you stopped pursuing these? What are the limiting beliefs that you need to let go of to get back on track? Do you have a goal that you are actively working toward right now? Are you investing the time and effort to make progress toward that goal? Do you love yourself enough to give yourself a chance?

• It is revealed through what you accept or reject. It might be possible that we are accepting less than our best from ourselves and others. Are we just allowing ourselves and others to speak negativity into us? Are you just accepting whatever life presents without even trying? Are you living passively or trying to be proactive about how and what you invest in your personal development?

• It is nurtured through your self-talk. What you say and how you speak to and about yourself matters. Your words are like seeds that are planted in your inner garden, and what you plant might bloom. If you keep saying and acting like you are not worth investing in, then you will continue to be inconsistent and not believe you are worthy of self-improvement and your goals. However, if you tell yourself that you are worth the personal investment of time, energy, resources, rest, and love, then your actions will follow.

• It is seen through the grace and patience you extend to yourself. Are you constantly beating yourself up and talking down to yourself? Are you always kicking yourself for all the mistakes you made in life? One of the hardest things to do is to treat yourself like someone you really love. If one of our friends or family members was beating themselves up and dwelling on their mistakes, we would likely tell them how much we believed in them and shower them with love. We need to practice offering ourselves this same grace and patience. Self-love takes time to build and sustain. It’s a daily practice, and it is OK if it’s not a perfect journey. Just keep loving yourself enough to try again and invest again.

• It is revealed through how much you fight for yourself. Do you quit forever because you’ve experienced one challenge? Are you stuck in shame and disappointment from the past? Life is not always easy; it is very hard to navigate. However, continuing to invest in ourselves is a demonstration of our love and commitment to ourselves. It says, “I love you and I will not give up on us.” If you have not been fighting for yourself, it is OK to start now. You are not alone; I am rooting for you! We deserve freedom—the ability to live authentically, grow, realize our goals, and have mental, spiritual, and even financial freedom. It is worth fighting to see what’s possible. You are worth the try, even if it does not all work out in the end. At least you loved yourself enough to give it a good shot.

Affirmation: I am worthy of personal investment. I put forth effort and energy into myself and my life. I am not just living aimlessly; I live with intention.

It is Time To Start Investing in Yourself

If you have been believing or accepting less about yourself than you truly desire, you are probably feeling a nagging internal dissonance or unhappiness because your authentic self is desperate to be free. You came to this post because you probably want to improve in some areas of your life.

Action: Take a personal inventory of where you are right now. Examine what you believe about yourself. What limiting self-beliefs are hurting and hindering you from improving your life? What is holding you back or keeping you stuck?

Remember, your sacrifices are temporary. Your investment(s) of time, energy, resources, and love in yourself will eventually pay off, if you keep wisely, efficiently, and consistently investing in yourself.

If you know someone who needs to be reminded that they are worth the time and energy for their improvement, share this blog post with them!