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7 Ways To Invest In Yourself to Live a Happier, Healthier life
Let’s talk for a minute about Investing in ourselves and how important this is to our happiness and wellbeing. Many times we disregard the term “Investing in ourselves” because we believe it is only about spending money. This is only partially true. Investing in yourself can also be an investment of our time & energy.
As women, we have a To-Do List a mile long and we can never seem to catch up. We not only take care of ourselves but our families too. Their To-Do List becomes our To-Do list to add to the eternal cycle. Oftentimes we feel like we will never get to complete our list.
Day after day, these everyday tasks and “duties” start to weigh on our shoulders. “Duties” because we choose to be the best mother or wife we can be and take these responsibilities on willingly. After a while though, the weight becomes too much and we might be just a tiny bit resentful for having so much responsibility and no time for ourselves. Maybe we stop doing them at 100% because we only have the energy for 40%, we maybe start caring just a little less and then you just start feeling bad about yourself for the lack of effort you put forth.
That shame of not giving it your all turns into guilt. So you stop focusing on yourself, or doing things for yourself and put all your energy back into your family and the vicious cycle starts over. Does this sound familiar? And THIS is what they define as insanity.
Now that we understand that Investing in ourselves can be energy, time, or money. And that not taking care of ourselves will lead to Insanity. Let’s chat about why investing in yourself is important for every woman’s journey to live a happier, healthier, and more productive life.
Let’s repeat this - Investing in ourselves should be a priority. Put yourself at the top of your To-Do List every day. We should invest in ourselves all the time, not just when we deserve to reward ourselves based on an accompaniment. Investing in ourselves is an act of self-love.
Self-love helps us reduce stress and anxiety/depression, it increases our happiness, boosts our confidence, and become more productive just to name a few. The list goes on. Each time we do an act of self-love, we are reminding ourselves that we are worth it. And let’s remember when we invest in ourselves to replenish our souls, we can give back more to our families.
Still feeling guilty? Ask yourself why you might have to sit with this for a while to truly find your real answer. Is it the way you were raised? Were you raised to always save money or only spend money on essentials? Maybe you grew up with the mindset that there was only just enough ( more maybe not enough) money and spending it frivolously was out of the question. Know you can change this old limiting belief. Whatever your answer is, ask yourself is this your current situation? Do you have the time, energy, or money, and is it important to you?
If it’s important to you, then know you are worth it! Will it bring you joy and happiness? Then you are worth it! Will it help you love yourself more than you are most definitely worth it?
7 Ways To Invest In Yourself
Hopefully, I’ve convinced you how important Investing in Yourself is. Not sure where to start. Here are our top 7 ways to invest in yourself. Use your time and energy, or even make a financial investment to bring more joy and happiness to your life.
Give yourself a Facial or treat yourself to a professional one
Take a 15 min walk / Exercise
Give yourself a Mani / Pedi or Treat yourself to one at a salon
Speak Positive Affirmations to yourself in the Mirror.
Meditate or Breath
Invest in Self Development. We are launching our course - From Self Conscious to Self Confident
A Facial
What woman doesn't love a facial? It’s nourishing for our skin and always leaves it feeling beautiful. A facial is relaxing, which can help reduce stress. It will cleanse your pores and increase circulation just to name a few benefits... You can do one at home or visit a professional. The types of facials are endless.
At home, I love to use Bentonite Clay mixed with water. Bentonite Clay is derived from Volcanic Ashes and is loaded with minerals and great for detoxifying the face.
Two of my favorite facial tools are a Jade Roller and Gua Sha Stone. Both are great for improving circulation and giving your skin a natural glow. Plus it reduces the signs of aging by boosting collagen and cell repair. They are so simple to use and something you can add every day to your skincare routine. I love to roll in my face serums.
If you are looking for a Professional Facial, Bratface Skin Care is right next door to our studio. Schedule a facial and waxing before your photoshoot or treat yourself to a relaxing facial when you come back for our ordering Appointment. She will include a Complimentary Arm, Hand & Head Massage with any facial. Use Code MMB when you schedule or just mention you were referred by Maggie Messer Boudoir. Call 512-786-7677 to Schedule an appointment
Quick Exercise
Take a 15 min walk/exercise. The benefits of exercise are no mystery. We all know the importance of exercise. But remember when you are in a funk or need to shift your negative energy, a quick 5-15 mins of exercise can turn your whole day around. It can help clear your mind and reduce some stress. Walking is absolutely free, just walk out the door and enjoy a change of scenery and some fresh air.
Or turn up your favorite tune and jam out a few songs. Dancing is my favorite attitude adjustment.
I have a fabulous home gym in my home that I've put together over many years. On days I work from home, I love being able to step away from the computer for a few minutes and pick something in my gym for a short workout and release some stress or refocus my day.
Three of my quick favorites are my AeroPilates Reformer, Pilate Core Slider, or Vibration Plate. But anything works - a few squats, jumping jacks, pushups - just move the body for a few minutes and get the happy rush from endorphins.
Mani / Pedi Time
What woman doesn’t love to be pampered with a Mani / Pedi. I think the problem with many of us is we save it for a treat. This is another self-care routine that should be done routinely. You can go to the salon or take care of the manicure/pedicure yourself at home. As a photographer, I am pretty rough on my nails. I’m always breaking them when I work and I am constantly cutting them down and filing them back. So for me, I don’t usually polish my nails, but I love to keep my cuticles moisturized and I like buffing my nails to a smooth shine.
I love the Cuccio Naturale Lavender and Chamomile Cuticle Oil to nourish my cuticles and help strengthen my nails. The Onsent Professional Nail Buffer is fabulous to smooth my ridges and buffing for a polish-free shine.
And for my feet - my favorite, must-have at all times in the shower is My Soulmate pumice stone + soap. If you wear flip-flops all the time, like me, you are going to love this. It really helps keep my feet smooth.
Daily Affirmation
This is such a simple and powerful tool you can use to improve your self-image. It’s even more powerful if you speak them to yourself in a mirror every day. When you look at yourself, really look into your eyes, smile, and speak words of affirmation. After all, how we speak to ourselves makes a huge difference in what we think about ourselves.
Here are a few that I love to use.
I am Beautiful.
I am Enough.
I am Becoming… ( then I talk about the successful, fabulous woman that I am becoming or need to become that day. Each day is different because I’m always evolving)
I am becoming more confident each day.
I am becoming less fearful of being on camera each day.
I am becoming more skilled as a business owner.
I am becoming a beacon of light to help uplift other women.
Now think what you can say and create your own.
I even created a mirror decal for a daily reminder for myself.
Meditate or Breath
Investing just a few moments of your time to breathe or clear your mind will help elevate your energy and has amazing health benefits.
Breathing not only improves your health by lowering your heart rate, regulating blood pressure, and helping decrease the release of cortisol but mentally, breathing can reduce mental stress and calms the nerves.
My favorite type of breathing exercise is breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth - pucker your lips like you are breathing through a straw. Do this a few times and see how relaxed you feel instantly.
Meditation is fantastic for helping you reduce stress and anxiety, but it’s a great tool to help you manage them. It will help you improve your self-awareness and one of my favorite reasons is to help you focus on the present moment and bring you back to the center. I find this so helpful when my mind is being pulled in a million directions and I can’t concentrate on what I need to do next. Meditation helps calm that, brings me back to the center, and brings more clarity into the present moment. For some, it may take practice but the best way is to just start.
My oldest friend, Christy Setticase, has written a few mediations that are free on YouTube. She has helped me in so many ways through my journey of self-love and acceptance. Here are two of her mediations for you to enjoy:
Her Latest Medication: 417 Hz Heart Opening Guided Meditation
Her Yoga Nidra 20 minuted Guided Mediation
You can also check out her YouTube Channel, where she discusses the results from mediating and how to Meditate for Life Success.
Book a Beauty or Boudoir Photoshoot
As a Photographer, I’m totally biased, but this is my favorite way to invest in yourself. I think every woman should do it at least once in her life, probably twice or even 3 times! A Beauty or Boudoir photoshoot is such a powerful way to boost confidence and remind yourself just how beautiful you are.
When we feel beautiful and confident, are we not unstoppable?!? I’ll tell you a secret of confidence. It’s the act of doing something special just for you, getting pampered from the photo shoot experience, and then having amazing images to reflect back on. This is an amazing daily reminder of what a Badass Woman you really are. Confidence comes from the courage of stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping out in front of the camera. It’s seeing the images of how beautiful you are and having the images as your reminder.
For ladies living or visiting the Austin, TX area and who are ready to invest in beautiful images of yourself, I invite you to schedule a call with me and let’s talk about it.
If you aren’t quite ready, but like the idea, I’d love to invite you to join our private Facebook ™ Group - Building Confidence through Boudoir. It’s a great way to get to know me, but also be a part of a community of uplifting women that are also working on confidence and body positivity.
Invest in Self Development
One of the 7 ways to invest in yourself is to invest in self-development. We are always changing and evolving and looking for ways to improve ourselves. I’m guessing that’s one reason you are reading this article. Self Development is about getting out of our comfort zone, building confidence, becoming self-aware, and learning to develop our strengths - it’s about becoming the best version of ourselves.
Personally, I consistently invest in my personal and business development through Mentors, Coaches, and Courses. I believe in NOT reinventing the wheel, if someone has a solution for me, I’d rather go to the source rather than struggle to figure it out on my own. I love the momentum my mentors or courses have given me on my own journey of self-discovery. Through my knowledge and experiences with this and working with thousands of women behind the camera for over 20 years, I’ve learned a few things.
I feel it’s now time to give back what I’ve learned. I’ve created a course just for women in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s and it’s all to help them live their best life and unlock a new you by going from Self-Conscious to Self-Confident in 28 days. It is in its final development stage. The beta will be released soon at a special price of $88 and will include 3 months of coaching.
Click the button below if you’d like to be contacted on the release.
That's our list of the 7 ways to invest in yourself! Investing in yourself is so important because it's an investment in your future. Not only will you feel more confident knowing that you're becoming a better version of yourself, but the love you put back into yourself will be worth more than the time or financial investment you made. And if you can budget for such things in your life that you want, go for it!
Give yourself a break. Now decide, what investment will you make in yourself today. Big or small, you can make a big difference in how you feel inside and out! Invest in yourself. You are worth it!
Interested in a glamour or boudoir shoot to showcase what makes you uniquely beautiful? Check out our Website.
https://www.maggiemesser.com/
