A few might have been mentioned before, but I'd say that the following are
hugely beneficial to any individual looking to live life 'better'. Quotation marks
due to people having different interpretations of better though my interpretation
is that this enhances the quality of your life.
- Exercising
- Eating healthy
- Meditation
- Journalling
- Reading
- Learning a new language.
- Martial arts
- People skills
These are the first things that come to mind. While most of them are habits you could implement
I'll continue by explaining why I think they add massive value and by giving examples as to how you can invest in them.
Exercising
Exercising is really good for your body, you can practice a sport, go to the gym, start running, etc. The choices are limitless. You should pick what you enjoy so you can do it consistently. I also make a distinction between cardiovascular sports and sports which focus on improving your muscles; I do both. For me, sports have made me healthier, have allowed me to regulate my weight more, and feel more focused after working out and more energetic.
How to invest? - Buy a gym membership, join a local sports club, buy sports clothing, buy gear that allows you to exercise, and buy books about fitness. If you make this habit a social one, you could also meet interesting people.
Eating healthy
Improving your diet is healthy for your body and also hugely beneficial to your energy levels and focus throughout the day. Diet can even have an impact on your mental health. Definitely important to learn.
How to invest? - Replace junk food with healthy food. Buy books about diet, and study them for a bit. Buy containers for meal preparation. If you're already wealthy; buy a personal cook.
Meditation
For me the fact that this term sounds so spiritual is what prevented me from doing it for a long time.
But I value meditation now, I personally focus on my breathing whilst doing it. But I can see many benefits. I feel as if my emotions are more regulated as if I can focus more and more calmly.
How to invest? - Just like eating healthy, this can be free. But if you want to increase the speed of the learning curve you could buy books or courses about meditation.
Journalling
At first I didn't do it because I felt as if I was a high school girl. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Journalling is really valuable as it allows you to reflect on your daily life and emotional well-being. It also helps tremendously with regulating your emotions and understanding yourself better so that you become more calm, collected and in control of your emotions.
How to invest? - Prices of investment can vary drastically depending on the price of the journal (simple notebook or an expensive-looking one) and if you need guidance (such as courses, books etc) to get you started.
Reading
Enhances focus, improves your (passive) knowledge, and can also alter the lens through which you view the world. I'd say this one is hugely beneficial. There are books about literally any topic out there and the earlier start the more you will passively know. I call it passive knowledge as you also have to put knowledge into practice if you want to actually master the knowledge which you have learned.
How to invest? - Books, ebooks, audiobooks, perhaps a tablet or e-reader.
Learning a new language.
This can enhance your memory and also drastically alter the lens through which you view the word.
It also allows you to connect to much more people than before. Perhaps you are interested in a partner from a specific country? Perhaps you have always wanted to travel to a country and to speak with locals? Perhaps you want to do business in a specific country? Whatever your reason is, I will have to add that the only way to really learn a language is with motivation or a good reason to learn it. (Trust me, I tried many languages).
How to invest? - Depends entirely on how fast you want to learn it. You can buy courses, and books, learn for free on YouTube, buy time with talented teachers, etc.
Martial arts
Struggle with confidence? Afraid to be alone somewhere? This is where martial arts can help you. Martial arts can teach you how to defend yourself which brings confidence. It is also exercising (two birds with one stone). It also humbles you, knowing that there is almost always somewhere out there with more knowledge or/and skills than you.
How to invest? - Join a local club and pick a sport you enjoy.
People skills
As a human, you always have to deal with other humans. What better investment than learning how to navigate your relationships, how to deal with tough situations, how to handle difficult conversations etc? This one is really broad and hugely beneficial.
How to invest? - Reflect for a moment and think about what area you struggle with. Are you a bad communicator? Are you perhaps a bit too selfish? or are you perhaps to selfless which means that people walk all over you? Take a look and purchase books or buy courses/coaching with regard to your chosen topic.
I hope this list adds value and that its useful for anyone who wants to invest in themselves.
If you've got any questions, be sure to let me know.