How Are You Investing?
The word invest has been frequently on my mind for much of 2022 and walking into 2023.
As I've dove into various topics in my reading, podcast listening, and discussions, it's something I can't seem to get away from. Webster defines the word invest twofold: one is to "commit (money) in order to earn a financial return." The second is derived from the medieval Latin word investire, which means "to clothe." That is a unique explanation and one I've not thought of before.
Much of my use of the word invest over the last year has been around the first definition. If you scroll through social media, watch the news, or follow advice-givers, you'll soon realize that there seem to be infinite resources teaching you how to invest. And quite frankly, most of those people want you to invest with them… I personally have poured my time and effort into learning how to invest my money in hopes of earning significant returns in the future. I primarily believe the best path forward is through real estate, but that's another blog post for another day.
With all that said, I am beginning to realize how important the word invest is in all areas of my life.
Good and Bad Investments
Investing is for more than just sophisticated people who are willing to take risks or want to make loads of money.
We, as people, invest in things every day. We cannot avoid that word, nor can we avoid the topic. The interesting part is that we can choose to make good investments, just like we can make poor investments. For example, investing in enough sleep and healthy food gives us energy for the tasks before us, even though the ice cream and doughnuts taste so good! Investing in TV and social media is an investment. It's an investment of our time, an investment of our mental energy, and an investment of our emotions. Investing in a house project is no doubt an investment. One that I've learned to realize just how much I hate! Investing can be as simple as what things we buy at the grocery store and how to spend our Saturdays.
As I consider the word invest, I realize how powerful it is. I wonder if considering that we invest in things every single day may allow us to pause and ponder the things we are choosing to invest in.
How often have you heard someone say, "I need to start working out," or "I need to diet"? Now in no way is this an indictment on how you're choosing to invest. I believe that there are areas of my life where I am investing in fantastic things that will pay me great rewards both now and in the future, but I'm also investing in things that I honestly need to stop.
Investing and Sacrifice Work Together
Investing goes hand in hand with another word: sacrifice.
By investing in certain things, I am almost always sacrificing something else. When I invest my time in a new show that I'm hooked on, I inevitably sacrifice sleep. When I invest in reading a new book to educate myself, I'm sacrificing the comfort of entertainment on the TV. When I'm investing in my children's needs or taking them on dates, I'm sacrificing time I may want to be doing something else or other way's I'd like to spend my money. If I am investing in my savings account or working hard to pay off debt, I'm sacrificing going out to eat or buying things I want now. I know from firsthand experience that when I start eating healthy and working out, I'm sacrificing comfort, but I believe the results are worth the sacrifice.
We all make sacrifices every day, and we all make investments every day. As we've started Abundant Journey, our desire has been to be a company that equips, educates, inspires, and informs people. We want to give people the tools they need to live their lives to the fullest. We talk a lot about the Six-F's of Abundant Journey: Family, Fitness, Finance, Future, Friendship, and Faith. These are all essential pillars for a vibrant life and the true path to Abundance. Of course, there are other areas of life that are essential, but by focusing on those six categories and working hard to improve them, we believe that they will affect the other areas of life.
I was a sprinter in high school and ran the 100-meter race and the 110-meter hurdles. Although I was not a good runner, nor was I the fastest (just ask my brothers…), I have learned that life is way more like a marathon, not a sprint. And I'm truly grateful for that! Investing takes time, and we've all heard before that small daily decisions add up to big life changes. The habits we continually form and work towards daily will shape who we are and who we become. Life is a journey, and that is really where the idea of Abundant Journey comes from.
The First Step: Evaluate
The first step in any journey is evaluating where you're at, where you want to go, and how you will get there. A big part of that evaluation is looking in the mirror and asking yourself these two questions. What am I Investing in to help me take the next step in my journey? The other question is, what am I willing to sacrifice to get where I want to go? Make no mistake, any path we take will be an investment in something and will cost us something. It is up to you to decide what you want to invest in and what you're willing to sacrifice.
If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight, what are you investing in today to help you work toward that goal? Additionally, what are you willing to sacrifice to get that goal? If you have the desire to be financially debt free, what small steps are you taking today in investing in your mind, money, or time to help you reach that goal? What are you willing to sacrifice to become financially free of debt? Only you can answer those questions.
Try Rewarding Yourself
As I said before, there are so many resources out there that are meant to help people. I do believe that it starts with evaluating the things you're investing in and the things you're sacrificing right now. I personally love a rewards-based system.
I recently had a conversation with a friend who wanted to spend more time in the evenings investing in his family and personal growth instead of his social media. I think we often get this mindset that we need to cut things out completely and punish ourselves for making poor investments. A better approach is to reward ourselves for the hard work we put in. For my friend, I suggested that he set a goal in the evening to spend a certain amount of time with his family and read a certain amount of pages in an educational book. After he met his goal, he could reach for his phone and spend some time unwinding on social media. The same works for fitness. Set a goal to work out three times during the week, and when you reach your goal, grab that bowl of ice cream. (Are you sensing that I have a love relationship with that dessert specifically?)
I have found in my life that a rewards system for investing works better than punishment, and it can also make things more enjoyable as we work on accomplishing the hard things in life.
I encourage you this week to take a little time, reflect on what you're investing in, and ask yourself if it will help you get where you want to! Comment below with any questions, thoughts, or ways you've helped motivate yourself in your investing.
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Action Items:
Write down three things you are investing in that are good for you or others around you, and ask yourself what is the next step to take that investment to the next level. Also, write down three things you're investing in that you know aren't good for you. Ask yourself why you're investing in it and what you are willing to sacrifice to change those bad investments into good ones.
Extra Reading:
I'm currently reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. It's an exciting read focusing on habits, systems, and identity. I'm not far into it, but I think it's a great book that will help in the process of investing. Check it out!