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Investing In Yourself Is Like Unwrapping Presents

Here’s why investing in yourself is like unwrapping presents…

Each year before Christmas or a birthday, my husband and I would shop to find a wonderful present for each one of our kids. Then we’d watch with anticipation when they unwrapped it.

Some presents exceeded expectations…

Like when our kids would sneak downstairs to open up their stockings. They’d take the small gifts out one by one, admiring the socks, candies, book and so on. This was often their favourite part of Christmas.

Unfortunately, other gifts failed. Hard…

Like the Christmas that we gave our teenage daughter, Hannah, a pair of ice hockey pants. We can laugh about it now (and she gave me permission to tell this story) but at the time, that present went down as one of the all-time worst from her parents.

We can all laugh at stories like this but truth is, we usually treat the gifts God gives us in one of those two ways: with excitement or by ignoring them.

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Our Gifts Are In Jars Of Clay

The word of God says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this is all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Cor. 4:7, NIV)

Each one of us gets to decide how exactly we take care of the jars of clay we’ve been given. We can eagerly unwrap the gifts, talents and abilities we have and nurture those or we can neglect them.

But if you or I decide that we’re not going to take care of these jars of clay, then it’s like throwing out the gift that God gave you before it’s even opened. Most of us would never want to hurt our loved ones feelings by doing that…

(even if we don’t absolutely love the fruitcake or Christmas sweater they bought us).

Now, the last thing I want you to feel is guilt that you’re not doing enough. That’s not what this is about. Instead, it’s about focusing on the best things. Sometimes our lives are busy but we’re not busy with the right things align with the purposes and plans God has for us.

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Invest In Yourself So You Can Love And Lead Others Better

One really big reason why it’s good to invest in yourself is because the degree that you love yourself, is the same degree that you will be able to love others and lead them well. Learning to value yourself is essential for you to value and influence others.

Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, says…

“investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of those around you.”

This means that we need to stop playing small because it keeps us from stepping into the purposes and plans God has for us. I played small for years when I hid behind my husband and children. And during that time they missed out on what I could have given them if I had stepped up and into who God made me to be.

You were made by this great big God who creatively invested in you. He loves you and you are cheating yourself and him and everyone else around you when you play small.

Because your family, church, business, workplace and community need what only you can bring to the table. That’s why you are worth investing in.

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4 Ways To Invest In Yourself

#1 – Learn

Stoke the fires of your curiosity. Watch a child who is curious. They approach the world with wonder. They stop and examine new things. They ask “why”. They have a hunger to learn, to explore and to understand. 

Nowadays, there are so many great ways to learn that are affordable. Choose podcasts or books (or other resources you like) that will help you grow in a specific area of your life. 

#2 – Reflect

Carve out regular time, even if it’s a small amount of time, to reflect about what you’re learning so you can make changes in your life. Because knowledge without application doesn’t help us to grow. 

Ask yourself good questions, like… what are new perspectives I need to gain from this material? Or what action do I need to take?

#3 – Rest

I can’t emphasize this one enough — take the time to care for yourself. Eat good food when you’re hungry. Rest when you’re tired. Move when you need exercise. (30 minutes 3 x a week)  Look after the jar of clay you have.

However, don’t wait until you’re burned out or exhausted to do this. Build a rhythm of self-care into your schedule to help prevent getting to the place where you need extended time to recover.

#4 – Give

Our growth isn’t for us alone and we can’t give away what we don’t have. So, grow to give to your family, community, church or business.

After all, God has invested so much in us. To turn around and invest in others is simply modelling ourselves after our Creator.

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You Are Worth Investing In

Keep this in mind: there is no one in the world that has your exact set of skills, experiences, circumstances, personalities, strengths or circle of community.

You are worth investing in.

God made you for a purpose and a reason. We need to step up and step into the purposes and plans that he has for us.