Impress Yourself

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A lot of time, energy, and money is spent by a lot of people simply to impress other people.

(There is an irony in that many of those people are always complaining that they wish they had more time, energy, and money!)

But I digress.

Here's the flaw in this "impress people" approach to life:

The more you try to impress people, the less impressive you are. Your actions and behaviors tell them everything they need to know, regardless of what brand name you're wearing or what car you are driving.

The only person you should be working hard to impress is yourself.

YOU are the one person who can move you forward. YOU are the one person who can achieve your goals. YOU are the one person who can take action.

Nobody else can do that for you.

Others can point you and aim you. Others can encourage you, help you get clarity, and help you plan. But YOU are the only one who can DO for you.

Many a proverbial horse has been led to water...many of them still won't take a drink, even though they are thirsty. They would rather complain about being thirsty than simply doing the one thing (that is right in front of them) that would take care of their problem.

That type of behavior will never move you forward, but it will do a great job of keeping you Stuck AF!

If you are spending time, energy, and money investing in things that will not help you move from the person you are to the person you want to be, you need to begin investing in YOU!

Let's start with what "invest in yourself" means.

It means to put your resources (time, energy, money) into things that return personal growth and knowledge.

One of the world's most successful investors of all time, Warren Buffett has said, “Ultimately, there’s one investment that supersedes all others: Invest in yourself. Nobody can take away what you’ve got in yourself, and everybody has potential they haven’t used yet.”

Investing in yourself is not selfish. In fact, it is one of the most self-less things you can do!

Why?

Because when we make ourselves better, we help others, too. We have more knowledge to apply to situations, we have more experiences to draw from, and we show-up as better role models. We become thinking people who are problem solvers instead of being problem makers.

“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” ―Robin Sharma

Investing in yourself gets you to places more quickly.

Some might think that it takes a lot of time to work on your personal development and they are not willing to build that time into their already "busy" schedules. That thinking is counter-intuitive to success.

“Personal development is a major time-saver. The better you become, the less time it takes you to achieve your goals.” ―Brian Tracy

As you being to realize that YOU have so much more control over your place in life than you've likely been telling yourself you do, it might be exciting to think about how you can begin to invest in yourself regularly.

Here are some investments in you that will pay big dividends:

• Read, listen to, or watch something new (educate yourself everyday!)
• Make self-care a thing you do regularly (it can be a five minute break - don't tell yourself you don't have that time - you'll be lying to yourself)
• Choose to be happy (Please don't overthink this. Do things you actually LIKE to do. Look at what could go right instead of just what could go wrong. Shift the way you CHOOSE to look at things and find the possibilities, not just the roadblocks.)
• Learn how to manage your stress better - (Meditation? Boxing? Learning to BREATHE the right way? There are so many simple things you can to to chill the f#!k out...if you DO them.) ;)
• Take better care of yourself (It is really difficult to regain good health once you have destroyed it - both mentally and physically. It is much easier to take control of those things RIGHT NOW. Begin making better choices for your body and your mind.)
• Start a side hustle (You keep hearing about people doing it - what do you like to do that someone else would pay you to do...because they don't want to or because you have a talent they appreciate? If being an employee is not cutting it for you anymore, get out of 'employee mentality' and begin to create something of your own!)
• Take a class or attend a workshop (Not only can you learn something new, but you can interact with others who are probably in a similar place as you. That networking alone can be worth a lot. You never know who you might meet or what ideas get sparked from a conversation with a like-minded person.)

“Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.” ―John C. Maxwell

There are so many ways to begin investing in yourself starting right...this...moment!

Step #1 - Pick one that resonates with you

Step #2 - BEGIN doing it

SO...why are you trying to impress others when you could get busy impressing yourself?

That's how you soar.

Image by Mango Matter from Pixabay

WRITTEN BY

Robin Sacks Professionally, I am a Confidence & Performance Coach, speaker, author and motivator. Personally, I am a mom, wife, and friend.

I live for bad puns and good mysteries.

To inquire about working with me, visit https://www.robinjsacks.com/hire-robin.