Investing in Yourself
As humans, we are okay with comfortable. We’re okay with secure. We’re very okay with routine. But what happens when we’re not?
This is the place I got to in my career and my life. From the outside, everything seemed perfect and truly Instagrammable. I traveled all the time for work and ate expense account dinners. I had the clothes to match the job. And most importantly to me at the time, I knew the workout schedule for every SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp in whatever location I was in.
Now let’s talk about what that life looked like offline. I was burnt out and I was constantly sick. My weekends were spent sleeping until almost noon in hopes that I would fill up my sleep bank. And the thought of even checking my personal email made me swirl into a pit of anxiety - if I have time to do something for myself, why don’t I check-in on work too?
Not healthy, not moving forward, not growing.
I came to a huge red stop sign at the fork in the road. Whatever I was doing, I had to stop. So I did. Over the course of a few years, I started to cultivate change in my life. It started small - pitching baristas business ideas while I waited for a coffee. Then got bigger - launching an online mentoring program and networking with those who felt like they “got it” with their careers. Then it got HUGE - attending a program at Stanford’s GSB, getting trained to be a coach. I’ll be honest, this journey took a lot of time and money. But it was the path I needed to take to get to the place I am now. The place that I dreamed I would be someday.
That was a lot about me. Let’s talk about you.
Think back to a time where you invested in yourself. A $12 smoothie after a boutique fitness class doesn’t count. Can you remember a time? Has there ever been a time? If you’ve answered no or vaguely gave a shrug reading over the questions, then you haven’t truly invested in yourself. I cannot stress this enough, there’s no better time to start than now. Because I’m telling you from the other side. You can live in the okay. And that, frankly, is okay. But why take that path? Do it. Do it for you right now. And most importantly, do it for you and your future. My future self and your future self are thanking you right now.
Article originally published in its entirety on ForbesWomen.