5 Ways to Invest In Yourself | Jack Canfield

How can you use this time to thrive and come through this pandemic even better than you were before? This is a question that a lot of people have been asking lately, including me. And I've always been one to view challenges as opportunities for growth, and this current pandemic is no different. But I've also seen some people take offense to this question or the suggestion that people can use this time to better themselves. They feel this kind of messaging speaks only to people with privilege. After all, when people are losing their jobs and their income and they're scared and they're struggling to get by, how can they find the time and energy to focus on their personal growth? But I would say that when you're dealing with a big challenge, it's the perfect time to invest in your personal growth, because that's what's going to help you deal with that challenge even more effectively. And today, I'd like to share five ways you can invest in yourself and improve your ability to thrive right now and in the future, no matter what you're currently experiencing in your life. But before I get into it, though, I want to address this idea that only privileged people can improve their lives and pursue success. That is absolutely the opposite of the truth. Anyone, no matter where they're at in life, has the capacity to improve their circumstances and experience more joy and more abundance in their lives. No matter what you're experiencing, there's always the opportunity to make it better. It has everything to do with your mindset and your willingness to take action. For example, on my first ever trip to the Philippines, I was interviewed one night by a man named John Caleb. And after the interview was finished, I said to him, that was the best interview I've ever had. How long have you been interviewing people, John? And he said, well, you're the first one. And I said, come on, John, that's amazing. That was just such a great interview. What were you doing before? And he said, well, I had this restaurant and I got into a fight with my partner and we went bankrupt. And I said, wow, that must have been tough. What are you doing now? He said, well, I'm basically couch surfing, sleeping on my friend's couches for a week before they kicked me out. And then I had to find another couch to sleep on. He had no car, he had no apartment. When I asked him how much money he had in his life, he pulled the money out of his pocket. It was about $3. And he told me that was his total net worth. Now, I gave him $20 to buy dinner on me, because I liked the interview and it was going to appear in a major Manila newspaper. And I also gave him a copy of my book, which I actually had to buy from the bookstore to give to him because I didn't have any of my own at the time. Well, fast forward to two and a half or three years later when I'm back in Manila to do another training workshop. In walks John in this beautiful blue blazer with this gold medallion on it, which I later learned was the logo of his company. And he had about 12 people following him, all in these amazing polo shirts, all with the same color, all with the same medallion. And I said, you look like the guy who interviewed me a few years ago. And he said, I did. I said, you look different. He said, I am. I said, well, what's different? He said, I'm now a multimillionaire. And he went on to describe the house he had bought, the condo he had at the beach, the cars he was driving, the courses he had taken, and how he'd become the number one motivational speaker in the Philippines in just a couple of years. He was rocking with 600 to 800 people at a time in his seminars, and he was known as the Philippine money magnet. And I asked John, I said, john, how did you get from where you were to where you are now? And he said, I read your book and I did everything in it. And I said, john, no one has done everything in that book. There's 64 principles. Took me a lifetime to do that. He said, jack, I did every single thing you taught us to do in that book. And that's why I'm so successful. And now I'm still teaching that to all the students that I teach. Now I'm just telling you this to say that you can come from anywhere and. And within a few years, be somewhere magnificent when you take consistent action towards your own personal growth. Now, you can use my Success Principles book or my new Success Principles workbook, or you can use some other tool or some other system you find. But the point is to keep taking action to improve. So now let's talk about some specific ways that you can invest in yourself during this time so you can thrive now and into the future that we're going to come into. And my first piece of investment advice is to for you to invest in your health. Because if you want to thrive, you need the physical energy, the strength and the stamina to do so. So make a commitment to eat healthier and as much as you can within your budget. Eat lots of protein and fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Take more vitamins and minerals and supplements like vitamin a, vitamin C, D3B complex, zinc, copper, turmeric, ginger and garlic. Also, drink more green tea right now and avoid overly processed, simple carbs, more salads and sweet potatoes, and fewer chips and cookies. Another thing is to cut down on your alcohol intake. Now I know it can be tempting to want to unwind or numb yourself out with an extra glass of wine in the evening, but it's robbing you of energy and having a negative impact on your immune system. Now another thing is get more sleep. Go to bed as early as you can. If you have trouble sleeping, do some yoga or some meditation to relax your mind. There are a ton of bedtime yoga practices and sleep meditations on YouTube and you can watch them for free now. Also, do your best to get outside and get some more fresh air. I know this might be challenging depending on where you live, but do it as much as you can. When your body is healthier and stronger, your mind and spirit will also be healthier and stronger, and that's going to better equip you to deal with any obstacles that come up in your path. Now the second way you can invest in yourself is to invest in your expertise. Now more than ever is a great time to expand your skill set and become a more capable person not only in your professional life, but also in your personal one. Now, what are some skills that will improve your life or career right now? Well, maybe it's learning how to use online technology better. Maybe it's reading some books that will increase your knowledge in a key area. Even if your local libraries are closed, you could still be able to take out ebook versions of the books you want to read. Check that out. Most libraries have that available. Or maybe it's learning how to cook or bake better, or how to organize your home or your office so it's less cluttered and you're better able to be more focused and productive throughout the day. Or maybe it's time for you to invest in your education so you can learn how to manage your business better or become a more in demand professional within your industry. You know there are a ton of free courses you can take online right now. Just do a little research. I know all of these investments require time and time may be something you feel like you don't have very much of. But here's a secret for you. You can always find the time. It doesn't have to be very much. Even if you're able to invest only 20 minutes a day on your learning. If you do that consistently, I guarantee you're going to see results. So I encourage you to take a look at your schedule right now and critically evaluate how you're actually spending your time these days. What's going to serve you better at this time? Scrolling on Facebook and getting the press at all, the arguing over conspiracy theories or spending that time learning something valuable instead. Now, my third piece of investment advice is to invest in your own happiness. I know times are tough for many people and a lot of people are suffering, and I don't mean to diminish that at all. But you can't let your fears and anxieties overwhelm you. It's like Charles Dickens once wrote, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. And human history is always like that. There are always terrible things happening and there are always wonderful things happening. And you get to choose what you're going to focus on. And for your own well being, I strongly encourage you to spend time every day focusing on things that make you happy. Because more positive your outlook is, the higher your vibration will be and the easier it will be for you to attract the people, the resources and the opportunities that you need to achieve your goals in life. And also, happiness actually makes you healthier. There are lots and lots of studies that show how stress and anxiety have a negative impact on your immune system, whereas happiness can actually strengthen it. I was online on a summit with Les Brown recently when he said that when you laugh, it boosts your immune system for up to 24 hours. That's pretty cool when you think about it. He also said there was research that shows when you get angry, it decreases your immune system for up to about four or five hours. So that's why it's so important right now in this time, to keep yourself in a high vibration. So make sure you do things that make you happy. Take a hot bath, go for a walk in nature, listen to some uplifting music, play with your dog or your cat, maybe watch a movie that makes you laugh. Any of these small actions can have a huge impact on your mindset, which plays a huge role in your ability to think clearly and to take action in a way that's going to help you thrive. Now, another important way to invest in yourself during this time is to invest in your relationships. You know, our relationships and connections with other human beings play such a huge role in our quality of life and in our ability to achieve our goals in life. So I encourage you as much as you can to look at your relationships and devote some time and energy to strengthening the ones that are important to you. Tell your loved ones how much you care about them. If they're relationships that need healing or conversations you've been avoiding, now's a good time to have those conversations and heal those relationships and solve those problems. Because I'm sure you've also realized during this time that our relationships are really the most important things in our lives. And if you feel a lack or a gap in your relationship, say if you don't feel like you have people in your life who support you or uplift you or make you feel good about yourself, now is the time to find people who can do that for you and start to cultivate relationships with them. And you can do this by finding a community of positive people online who share your values and your desire to become a better person and who will give you the support and the encouragement you need to achieve your goals and create the kind of life you want to live. Now my Facebook page is a great place to start. Finally, my fifth piece of investment advice is to invest in your financial well being. Now this can be in terms of traditional financial investment, calling up your advisor, and investing your money in things that will make your future more secure. But it can also be as simple and as vital as investing the time investing into understanding your financial situation and your options better. What are your numbers? Do you know how much money you spend each month? Do you know exactly where it goes? Are there any expenses you can minimize or get rid of altogether? What are some small steps you can take to improve your money situation? Maybe you can call up your bank to talk about your finances and ask them for advice on how to improve them. Remember, your bank wants you to make money and be financially secure. That's how they make their money. Or you could call up your credit card company and negotiate to lower the amount of monthly interest you pay on your cards, for example. A lot of people are doing that right now. Or maybe you could call up your phone and your Internet company to negotiate better rates for their services. You may be surprised at how much they're willing to drop their rates if you tell them you're thinking of taking your business to a competitor. So those are my top five suggestions on how you can invest in yourself during this time in order to improve your life both now and and in the future. And remember, no matter where you're at or what your life is currently like, there's always something you can do to improve your experience. All you have to do is take action and actually do. It doesn't have to be something big or life changing, but sometimes the smallest actions can have the biggest long lasting results. So I encourage you this week to choose one small action you'll take to invest in yourself and your future. Maybe you'll invest in your health, or your skill set, or your happiness. Maybe you'll invest in your relationships, your financial well being. But by making that one small investment in yourself, you're showing the universe and yourself that you are worth the effort and that investment will pay off in ways you can't even imagine. So thanks again for watching. And remember, you can achieve anything you can imagine in life. It just takes you taking that first step now. If you found this video helpful, please make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one, and for some additional exercises and tools for investing in your personal growth and your future. Make sure to visit jackcampfield.com and check out the links in the description below and let me know what you think in the comments.