How do you invest in yourself?
We have been conditioned to believe that going to the gym, eating healthier and saving funds are the best investments we can make. However, did the thought of how you allocate your time come to mind? There are so many self care trends that promote an endless amount of products to use or activities to do. But how much is out there that encourages us to view all of our personal choices as investments?
There’s no way around it, to be successful we must be active participants in our lives. It is why the fact our focus was stolen and divided for profit is so diabolical. In Stolen Focus, Hari encourages us that this is something we can resolve for ourselves. All is not lost, once we choose to re-learn ourselves. It is important that we get to the bottom of our current habits in order to create a plan to improve our quality of life.
While viewing 7 Work Habits You Need to Succeed, Jennifer Bridges stated that studies show that our success depends on what we read, whether we exercise, how we communicate, how we organize, how we eat and who we associate with. This is a holistic approach which supports understanding that supporting ourselves properly ensures our level of success. If you felt a bit overwhelmed reading the different habits that influence our success I want to extend this though to you.
Making one choice that is different from your prior choices and committing to it will set your trajectory to a positive direction. Do not let the possibility of experiencing cognitive dissonance stop you from investing in your potential growth and development.
THERE IS BEAUTY IN CHANGE
During my digital detox experiment I addressed cutting down my dependence on Tik Tok. After monitoring my screentime analytics I came to realization that I use the app to manage my work stress responses. I learned that it’s not notifications that encourage my distracted state, it was my reward system I set up that drove me to opening the app. Once I understood my relationship with Tik Tok I was able to make a promise to myself that when I am experiencing high work stress that I would not engage with Tik Tok. I then set the boundary that I would only open the app to create content and close it once done. The plan I put in place was that when I find myself in a moment of wanting to lick my wounds by passively engaging with Tik Tok, I instead chose an activity that induced my flow state.
Yes, I had a few uncomfortable moments. Yes, I had some moments where I reverted to old habits. But what I was left with was a feeling of having more control of myself when it came to how I consumed Tik Tok. I was shown that I determine how I consume media. My neural pathways were reset to the understanding that I am in charge of myself. If an area of opportunity presents itself, then I am the best person to handle the matter of setting a plan in place for change.
Incorporating the project management system Asana into my current projects has continued to influence my understanding of what time management and organization can do. What seems overwhelming suddenly becomes doable because the plan of action for my end goal is written out in detail then displayed for me to view.
THERE IS GREAT POWER WHEN WE KNOW OUR TRUTHS
The video, How to Work Smarter, Not Harder teaches the importance of self assessment. Being able to take an honest view of our strengths and weaknesses sets us up for success. Choices can be made to set up healthy boundaries for unhealthy behaviors to not thrive. As well as knowing ourselves helps us align with other like minded individuals that can share their experiences and what choices they’ve made for better results. It is important for us to connect with one another so that we know we are not alone and can be encouraged into the right direction.
I encourage you as you start your week, remind yourself that it is a lie that you are not in control and you can not change anything. If you are willing to take an assessment of where you stand in life and where you want to be. The next thing would be to set your plan of action , work towards your goal and then cross your many finish lines.
Good luck!