What it means to invest in yourself, came to mind after I joined a webinar recently. The topic was how to get better at public speaking – and get paid well for it. The webinar was presented by an author and speaker with tips on how to find and engage your target audience.

At the end of the webinar, the author announced her plans to launch a course. It would include specific tips to earn considerable income for public speaking. Then she revealed the course would start at an introductory price of close to $1200.

As you can imagine, this prompted a wide range of responses from everyone in the webinar. Some people felt a bit of sticker shock, judging by their semi-joking requests for financial aid to cover the cost. A few others scolded those who wanted a discount, saying they should be willing to make the investment.

This made me think about whether there should be a price tag on how to invest in yourself. Similar to self-care and “living your best life,” investment in yourself seems to be a practice that now requires a specific dollar amount. If you don’t spend cold hard cash to further your development, you must not want to “level up” badly enough.

Using the public speaking course as an example, $1200 is quite a bit of money to shell out at once. This isn’t to say the course won’t be worth the investment. If folks genuinely can’t afford it though, are they not serious about investing in themselves? Are they doomed to suck at public speaking forever if they don’t make this particular investment?

I don’t think so. Growth and personal investment are important, but sometimes your circumstances don’t allow for spending cash upfront in these areas. With that in mind, here are a few ways to invest in yourself that won’t cost you anything.
 

Be Intentional With Your Time

I’ve mentioned how I worked lots of overtime in my younger days at a call center. There were times when I clocked 60+ hours a week, sometimes going in on weekends. Occasionally, I even skipped taking a day off for a week or more.

I hated the job and I hated the verbal abuse from dissatisfied customers over the phone for hours. I still sucked it up because money was the goal. These days, you couldn’t pay me enough to waste a weekend chained to a desk at a call center. Or any job, for that matter.

My time is way more precious to me than money now, and I align my priorities accordingly. If time is important to you, take a look at how you spend most of it. Ask yourself if that’s really where you want it to go.

Does most of your time go towards activities that don’t add value to your life? Find ways to cut back on them. Get comfortable with saying no to outings you have no interest in. This gives you time to pursue new hobbies, spend more time with family, or do absolutely nothing if you choose. Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. It’s worth making the investment to use it as wisely as you can.
 

Make Google (and the Library) Your Friend

I believe you can learn almost anything through a quick Google search. The argument against this is that anyone can put random information on the internet. While this is true, it’s more cost-effective to gain basic understanding of a topic before you spend money.

I used to be skeptical about the necessity to use Google as a substitute for more traditional ways of learning. In my last few jobs, I was surprised – and slightly disappointed – when I asked my bosses for help with work-related troubleshooting. Rather than give hands-on training, they recommended looking it up on Google. It seemed odd at the time, but now I see it differently. This must be a powerful tool if senior management trusts it to help solve problems in daily business operations.

You could say I just had crappy bosses (and you wouldn’t be wrong). Still, even if Google isn’t the most accurate information source, it can give you a head start on your research. As you gain more knowledge though, you might have specific questions that can’t be answered through Google. (I experience this more often as I progress in my freelance career.)

In this case, the library is a resource a lot of us forget to use in this Google-dependent era. You can check out multiple books at once (for free!) and get the information you need on a specific subject. Knowledge is power, and I can’t think of a better investment than to arm yourself with as much of it as possible.
 

Take a Chance on Yourself

I posed a question on Twitter for opinions on whether investing in yourself means spending money, and I got a lot of great responses. One of my favorites came from Alacias (@sense_w_cents), who pointed out that sometimes taking a leap of faith is a way to invest in yourself.

It’s such a simple observation, but one I think we don’t put as much value on as we should. I’ve taken numerous leaps of faith in my life, like leaving the military, moving cross-country to California, and quitting my job, just to name a few.

While I didn’t think about it at the time, these have all been investments to improve my wellbeing. I realize taking a chance on myself is what helps me reach my best potential. It doesn’t always feel that way when you’re going through the motions, but if you don’t take a chance on yourself, who will?
 

Keep It Simple

Although I mentioned some extreme life changes in the examples above, you don’t have to quit your job or move across the country to invest in yourself. Maybe you want to work out more often, make some new friends, or start going to therapy. Instead of putting it off and telling yourself you’ll get to it later, take the chance to actually make it happen.

Plan just one day a week where you’ll work out and stick to it. If making friends is your goal, look up events in your area to attend and meet new people. Intimidated by the thought of starting therapy? I get it, it’s a headache. Take out 10 minutes of your day to research providers in your area.

These are all ways to invest in yourself that no amount of money can compare to. The more you focus on the quality of what you invest in rather than how much you spend on it, the more satisfying you’ll find the return on investment.

Featured Image: Lindsay Henwood on Unsplash