You know, one of the hardest things to invest in is yourself. I struggled immensely with breaking this concept. I felt as though I shouldn’t / couldn’t spend money on investing in myself. I wasn’t worthy to. What if I don’t see a return? It seems like a frivolous expense in the grand scheme.
Life Coaches & Promises
A couple of years ago, as I hit 30, I realised that I felt somewhat lost in life. I was self-employed, married, and I had two beautiful children, but there was something absent from my life that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It felt as though I was missing out on the full potential of life. I was operating at maybe 75% without fully tapping into the maximum. Some would say this is an early midlife crisis. I wouldn’t disagree, to be fair. However, I had this overwhelming feeling that if I didn’t ‘fix’ this, I would regret it forever.
I started seeing people investing in life coaches. They began their journey, and then suddenly, they seemed to blossom. Like the penny dropped for them. I started to wonder if I needed a life coach. What even is a life coach? It seemed ridiculous to me that I couldn’t figure things out on my own and that I would need to hire someone to tell me how to progress in my own life. How does that even work?
No, it seemed like fake promises and smokescreens and all in all a little BS. Yet, I found myself thinking about it more and more, and as I was gaining little progress myself, it seemed I needed to explore this further, at least. When I found out how much hiring a life coach would cost, I was frankly horrified. Noway. It was never going to happen. I’m not going to pay someone such a vast sum of money to do what I can do myself essentially. What a scam. Except time continued to pass, and I, in fact, made zero progress. I saw all of my friends’ level up’, and I was stagnant like a washing machine load that finished days ago.
Investing In Myself
I couldn’t get away from this ‘life coach’ culture. It was following me around. Everyone started recommending them to me. Everyone started hiring them. Everyone that is except me. Eventually, I started a conversation with my husband about it, and he asked me why I was so reluctant to invest in myself. I hadn’t seen it that way as an investment. I saw it as wasted money and paying for something I could do alone. “You’re not doing it alone, though, are you?” He asked. He was, of course, right.
I waxed on about how expensive it was, “but compared to what?” He would reply. He had a point, but it felt inappropriate to spend such a significant figure on myself. I decided to research deeper, and I actually found a course focussing more on what I felt would be the best angle for myself. The fee was still in my eyes, extortionate. Not a figure I could throw around haphazardly—the equivalence of a holiday with my family but all for me. I felt selfish. I felt like a failure for even wanting it.
I hovered for days, undecided as to whether I should proceed. I was encouraged by my husband, but I knew it was a step I needed to take. Then suddenly, I took a leap of faith. I signed up. I paid my fee. I regretted it for a moment, but then I felt overcome with such liberation and excitement. I can tell you right now that I would never spend that kind of money on myself in any other setting before this point, but I have gained so much from taking that step it was worth the fee ten times over. I’ve actually earned way more in my business as a result of that payment.
Investing in myself felt frivolous, but it was the best decision I have ever made. I now don’t hesitate to spend money on investments in me anymore. I know the return comes 100 times over. My only regret is that I hadn’t taken the step sooner. My main tip would be to find the investment that feels right for you. Not every life coach, course or masterclass will be suitable, but if you find something you love and you think will benefit you, then take the punt because investing in yourself is one of the best investments you could ever make.
I have lots of free coaching and self-development resources over on sophiegw.com
Thank you for stopping by! Check out my last post here.
Love as always!
More From Me
Want to find out more about me? Head over to this page. If you like reading posts like this then you might want to follow me over on Bloglovin. Don’t forget you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & YouTube.
As always words, views and opinions are honest and my own. Links marked with “*” are affiliate links. This does not cost you anything additional but it may mean I earn a small percentage from any sales. For more information about any of this please head over to this page.
People Says Self investment is the best investment in the world. People Would love to hear about self investment. I really loved your article. This is really informative.