I invest in me, with time and money – which actually is time as well. Every krona I spend comes from the time I’ve spent doing work for my customers, billing them and then paying my own salary. I invest a lot in me. The investments I make in myself is how and what I “feed myself”, both mentally, emotionally and physically.

Mentally I feed myself deliberately by listening to podcasts, reading books (94 read so far this year, with a goal of – at least – 100!) and initiating and partaking in conversations of the most diverse kind. I have just hired a new coach and I am investing a lot in myself by retaining him. Feels great! This all helps my mind expand, providing me with more perspectives than ever before, making me more prone to be able to flip things around and not go for the most obvious answers. Building a world of infinite greyscale (the color of wisdom, mind you!) rather than black and white.

Being a part of Mastermind-groups and having colleagues to discuss things with is both a mental and emotional investment. And of course, spending time with those I love is an emotional investment, one that I would like to invest a bit more in, come to think of it.

Physically I invest in myself by doing my morning exercise (today was day 1587 in a row!), biking most everywhere, going for walks (I never suggest lunch or fika-meetings, always suggesting Walk N Talks instead, and CoachTalks for my coaching clients.), jogging once a week and just recently starting to dance lindy hop. I drink my daily green smoothie and love my ginger shot, eating vegetarian food (which works fabulously for me) trying to stay away from food where the contents, the ingredients, aren’t easily understood.

These are but a few of the investments I make in me – and guess what? It feels amazing! And I reflect on what I do to invest in myself now and again because just because I’ve invested in a certain way for a long time, doesn’t necessarily mean that it still is an investment worth the time. Perhaps the return on investment has diminished, perhaps it’s no longer a return I value?

Do you invest in yourself? If so – how? With what? And what’s the return on investment you get from it? And if not – why? What signals does that send, to both you and others?

Advent Calendar 2018 – number 21 of 24 – on the theme of being gentle.