The first mistake you are making: You don't invest in yourself.

Nobody has infinite resources.

You only have 24 hours in a day.

You have limited money.

And you only have so much energy to give.

So, you need to choose how you invest these resources wisely.

But what winds up happening for most people (me included!) is that you make poor choices about what you invest your time, money and energy in.  If you are like most caring people you will often put other people's needs before your own.  I write this article mainly with women in mind because generally speaking women tend to do this more often than men.  I'm a bit of an oddball (or just rare :)  the last three events I went to had 5 men in a group of 30, and 4 men in a group of 20) as a man, because I also think this way.

As caring and nurturing individuals, we will typically put others needs before our own.  So we will invest in others before we invest in ourselves.  We do things for others.  We buy things for others.  We sacrifice ourselves for others.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this -- the world needs more of us! -- but there is a cost to everything.  And the cost here is that if you give everything to others, there will be nothing left for you.

Why is it important to understand this concept? 

Do you own a car?  What happens if you never maintain it?  Do you have plants?  What happens if you never water or feed them?  Do you have friends?  What happens to your relationship if you never spend time with them?

In a phrase: they will die.

You, as well, are a machine of sorts -- a beautiful, complicated, magical machine.  Like any machine or plant or relationship, you need to maintain yourself, or you will die (both physically and spiritually).

You need to fuel yourself with nutritious things: eat healthy foods, feed your mind with education, tend to your soul with spiritual activities, and maintain your wealth by managing your finances.  In other words, you need to invest in your own wellness.

As you can see, there are many aspects to your wellness.  Intellectual, Spiritual, Social, Physical, Occupational...  And in order to maintain your wellness, you will need to consider investing in the activities that will promote wellness in each of them.

What will you do to invest your time in your Intellect?  Will you read more?  Will you watch meaningful movies?  Will you take a course?

How will you invest your energy in you Body?  Will you engage in a home exercise program?  Will you join an exercise class?  Will you go for walks or hikes?  Will you learn to eat nutritious foods?

In what way will you invest your money?  Will you hire a professional to help with your financial or emotional needs?  Will you invest in training programs?  Will you take a relaxing vacation or go to a spa?

There are so many thing that you can do to invest in yourself.  Not all of them require money. 

So I challenge you: research and brainstorm and write out the results to this question:

What can I do that is free, low cost, medium cost and more expensive in each of the areas of my wellness?

The challenge that you will probably face is the voice in your mind that questions whether or not you are really worth the investment.  Should I spend $500 on coaching?  Should I spend $100 per month on personal training?  Can I really afford to spend a $1000 on a spa get away?  Can I really take a day just for myself?  Do I really have the energy to read a self-help book after my long, hard week?

I totally get that resistance.  But what's really scary is what happens if you don't make those investments.

Even if you don't now, odds are that:

You will wind up hating your job.

You will become bored with your life.

And you will be unhappy with yourself and the world.

Don't wait until it's too late -- when the car doesn't start any more -- prevent the problem: start maintaining yourself now.

From the series:

• Massive Mistakes Professional Women Make that Keep them Feeling Bored at Work and Trapped by the Corporate Cage
• The First Mistake: You don't invest in yourself.
• The Second mistake you're making: you isolate yourself...
• The Third Mistake...
• The Fourth Mistake...

If you want to learn more about how Life Coaching can help you, contact me for a free consultation. info@bestcoaching.ca