This post is dedicated to helping you invest in yourself and what you want to become regardless of your finances and scheduled commitments. TLDR: Your ego, gut, wallet and watch are all in the way of investing in your dreams and future self. Set them all aside and get it done - you will not be the same as when you entered and that's the point.
Nearly every week during the school year I am honored to teach the kids who will lead our future. They are learning how to make huge decisions and they're going to go after what they want in the next phase of their life. I teach them how to fail gracefully and find what it is they like, regardless if it's my subject or not. I am lucky: I don't take many things in the teaching world personally, especially student failures. More on that later...
Every week I am on the go go go and I am always asked "Where do you get your energy from? How do you stay on task? How do you still stay so fit?" My favorite one happened years ago from a former athlete at Andrews High School. He said "Miss Christine, I always see you eatin' but you ain't never gain any weight!" I hope his southern accent came across this blog post.
I hear so many people give me excuses as to why they can't afford the time or money required to invest in a health program. But, if you don't spend the money now to maintain and prevent health blunders, you will be forced to spend more money and all your time it in corrective measures in the future. I don't know about you, but I think you're like me and you like knowing that you have a choice. Exert it.
Decisions to invest in yourself can be incredibly hard to make because usually, the best decisions are not the "fly off the seat of your pants" decisions. They are well thought through, they usually take a long time of dedication or learning to invest in and there's this gut feeling you get. Sometimes, these decisions consume you while you are in the thinking phase - that's okay. If you have a family, some of these decisions need to be made by all of the household members and it's helpful to get accustomed to feeling like what it could be as a participant in the program, together. These decisions by their nature get you out of your comfort zone. Big decisions typically have two large factors in there: Time + Money.
Typically, big decisions might make me sick to my stomach. Or, I may forget to eat for a few meals here and there since I seem to be so consumed with the potential for change. This seems terrible, however, it's coming from a place of excitement and here we have: THE EGO. I can't really trust my gut because it lies - it wants the normal, easy digestion of no big change. When the gut goes through stress, it taps into the ego. The ego is going to be in envy and will want the things you don't already have like good health, more time, more wealth, enlightenment, etc. You probably want this from where you are currently, without much change, but the world doesn't work that way, let me be the first to tell you! Your ego knows that if you take this gamble and really invest in yourself, you will change. This is where the gut gets triggered and digestion becomes uneasy! However, taking the opportunity, your capabilities will blossom; you will be such a greater version of yourself; your ego isn't attached to the money or time to take into account, it's invested in the new you and wants to start changing now that the seed is planted.
Perhaps, and highly likely, you have never invested in this type of way before. You have made the statement "Instead of paying for [big decision dilemma], I could use that money for the [house desire, new car, different course, etc]. This huge decision has you considering spending money in a new, unfamiliar way and that is uncomfortable! Hey, gut! Here's the catch: In order for a program to work for you, you have to have skin in the game and you need to try a method you have never tried before. Why? Because you know nothing that you have done in the past has worked. If a program or coach is going to set out to deliver the promises you are after, the training needs to uncomfortably stretch your pocket. You need to stretch and grow and get out of the comfort zone you've been in. If the program delivers what you want, there will be no opportunity to go back because you will have what you want. The program guide/director has set the price to such a point that this ensure the participants will show up, work their asses off and they're get the work done. Side note: This is why free packages are unsuccessful for lifestyle changes: No investment. No ego. No big decisions.
Next, time. Our unit of measurement to quantify actionable items. You will ask yourself" Where is this program going to fit in to my busy life"? Your schedule, if it's anything like mine, is JAM-PACKED. I don't even want to look at my schedule some days. There just simply isn't any room. From your current viewpoint, you're right. But there are sneaky time blocks that you can saturate in a different way than Tik-Toking or having the same conversation three times on a Friday night out. This big decision that has a financial aspect and now a time aspect could easily launch you into the next phase of your life and saying you don't have time for the probable evolution is taking the back seat. I promise you: If you really want it, you will make time for it in your busy world. Then, just maybe, the things in your way of progressing will fall to the side so everything you do will be aligned in the direction of your future self.
My biggest regret was not spending a few extra thousands of dollars at 22 years old when I completed my first yoga teacher training. If I had just set on the path designed for me, after my college education, I could have had what I have now and spent the last 15 years growing it. Who knows, I could have been like Elena Brower or Meredith Curie by now!
Time + Money worries are absolutely reasonable and scary. They are very real to your ego, bank account and schedule. However, in the long run, they are a small investments for your future self who knows what it wants and knows how to get it. The more I pay attention to my 5 and 10 year plans and needle focus my attention to doing everything I can to getting there, I find that this is a time and money plan to begin with. The more time and money I dedicate to being a world famous yogi, the more time and money I generate around this goal. It's some weird phenomenon - "energy goes where attention flows"
You know exactly what you want at any given moment, it's true. If you actually committed to what you wanted, your time would restructure to making your end game your first priority. It happens every. Damn. Time. You will make room for what is important to you. (This sounds oddly like relationship advice too)
Let me be clear: There are two decisions to be make. Take the leap of faith, stretch your schedule and your budget to shift into the new you and have a little ego hissy fit or, keep what you are doing, disappointed in the lack of momentum and frustration because of your very comfortable, calculated narrow environment for yourself.
Your ego will keep you right where you are. Your gut will scare you. You will never lose out on investing in yourself.
I hope this helps you in making your next big decision.
תגובות