No. 55. The investment women neglect

What a visit to the dentist and two hours at a coffee shop taught me about investing

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I was watching HGTV while at the dentist. In the episode, a woman was meeting with two investors who wanted her help flipping a house, but when she told them her fee was 50% of the profit they make on the house, they questioned what they would be getting out of the deal. 

“I’m the investment,” she said. “I bring the expertise and my team.” 

That phrase, “I am the investment” has been stuck in my mind ever since. 

This newsletter is about all the roles, dreams, work and relationships we invest in as women to build a portfolio life. But, like many women, I neglect to see myself as an investment.

The world talks a lot about self-care, and moms are told to make time for themselves. And that sounds nice, but when you have a to-do list a mile long and everyone needs something from you, investing in yourself can become the last priority. 

But, what we invest in ourselves yields dividends for everything else we invest in. 

When I invest in myself by learning something new, my work benefits when I implement what I learned. 

When I rest, move, pray, read my Bible and eat well, my family benefits because I feel better in my body, have more energy, and have the strength to keep up with everything I need to do.

In this post, Sahil Bloom shares life lessons from older people in his life, and #5 made me stop in my tracks:

“Treat your body like a house you have to live in for another 70 years. Invest in keeping the foundation and structure sound. A little bit of regular maintenance can go a long way.” 

For Christians, that is amplified because we are the house that God lives in. 

This resonates so much more for me right now because I’m trying to make lifestyle changes in my life to get healthier and stronger. For a month now, I’ve been showing up in the evenings, 3-4 times a week to do 30 minutes of exercise. It’s hard and it feels like I should be doing so many other more productive things with my evenings once my son is in bed, but I keep reminding myself that doing this is an investment not only in my future, but also for family.

The the little by little will add up to good returns.

But it’s not only about physical health. I came across this IG post where Bailey talks about how every woman should have a room of her own - that one thing that she loves to do that makes her, her. For Bailey, it is gardening. For me, it’s writing and/or reading something inspiring. 

The other day, I spoke up and asked my husband to give me two hours alone at a coffee shop on a Saturday to work on goal setting and my blog. He’s always happy to make that time for me, I just don’t do it often enough because I feel such mom guilt leaving my baby (also because I breastfeed and for months Levi would only nap for me, so it was hard to leave the house). But those two hours in a coffee shop writing revived me. It was a small thing, but it helped me show up better as a wife and mom. 

I really don’t like the term “self care” because I feel like it’s become something so indulgent and commercialized. But, I get the value of investments, so I’m slowly shifting my mindset to see that I am a worthy investment, and for an investment to keep growing, you must keep putting something of value in.

What would it look like to invest in yourself this week?

What good and life-giving things can you fill your mind, soul and body with that will help you grow and show up as the best version of yourself? 

P.S. How women can better excel in our work is a passion of mine. If you want to take your career to the next level, my Elevate Blueprint could be a good fit for you! My email friends get 10% off the Elevate Blueprint always - use code EMAILFAM