Investing in Self

Investing in yourself can take many forms. The main form that I am depending on right now is treating myself. I am investing in myself by providing for myself and never leaving room for myself to want anything. It's healthy, to want nice things, and it has worked for me for the past few years. I am in no way living above my needs and find that I can afford the life that I am providing for myself. It's just that I'm thinking of the other ways in which we can invest in ourselves and how effective those ways may be. 

When you see or hear the word 'invest,' the immediate thought is money, or at least it is for me, and that is not the only way to invest. Time spent with yourself and on yourself is also an investment. I tend to invest a lot of time alone, in the hobbies I have, and how I want to be 5 years down the line. I will say the main way I invest in myself is through material things, specifically clothing. There's something nice about having a new shirt, shoes, or workout gear to take on the world, but it's also not the healthiest thing, especially on this finance journey I'm on. I probably need to work on finding a new way to invest in myself and my happiness that doesn't require me to spend money that I could be saving. 

Now the question is when investing in self, where and how do we create boundaries for friends and family? If my investment is more time alone, what would be the best way to break this to friends. For me, my alone time is very sacred, and I prefer it to be in the presence of others. Whether it be shopping, working out, running errands, or just chilling, I like to be alone. I may be a bad friend, lowkey, but that's not the topic today 😂. Taking the step of investing in yourself may come with some difficult decisions, but creating those boundaries is necessary sometimes. I have trouble feeling bad about taking time for myself or not responding or doing things alone. I have good reason to feel this way as well because of something that has happened in the past, and it has caused me to attempt to do two things: not explain myself and stand in my decisions. 

My Investments 

My Self Care: 

My Finances: 

My Platonic Relationship(s): 

Each will require some major work on my part, but that's what growth is.