What does the word call to mind? Perhaps you envision a person placing money in a bank, or purchasing stocks. Maybe you picture people in the old fashion way, standing and yelling on Wall Street, in the stock exchange trying to make a buck for themselves or their clients.
Money is what most of us think of when the word investment comes to mind, but that is not the only definition of the word.
Webster:
Invest: transitive verb
1 : to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return
2 : to make use of for future benefits or advantages such as “she invested her time wisely.”
3 : to involve or engage especially emotionally such as “They were deeply invested in their children's lives.”
What are you investing in for yourself? How are you preparing for your future? What part of you are you working to make better? Fill in a few of these sentences.
“I want to be a …”
“If I had one wish, and couldn’t spend it on money, I would make myself…”
“People always say I am too…”
“My partner wishes I didn’t…”
“I wish I could…”
The answers to all of those things can lead to self-improvement and future-proofing your life. But we never get to be those things we wish for, remove those parts of us we don’t like, without effort. To burn away the things about ourselves which are undesirable is painful, and leaves holes behind larger than we expected. However, if we are not investing in our future, we will never become anything more than what we are today. More likely we will slowly grow worse under the remorseless assault of entropy and time.
Invest in yourself.
Exercise, even if only for five minutes a day. Nothing has been clinically shown to be better for our brain than exercise as we age. Read. Write. Engage in a hobby. Find a passion. Help someone with their passion. Work with a charity.
Be the version of yourself your future self will thank. Even if it takes work. Invest.
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