Welcome back to another Monday Marketing post.  If you are new to my blog, I (mostly) post Marketing articles on Mondays. 

You can check out previous ones in my Marketing Section.

What does it mean to Invest in Yourself

When we hear the word “Invest” most of us think of money, which is important and definitely a way of investing in yourself.  But that’s not the only way.

Deciding to Invest in Yourself is where you start to believe in yourself and your potential, that you acknowledge your value and give it the time and tools to build it up.  The first step is to accept your worth and what you can do.

Writers, like most creative types, can be pretty self-denigrating.  Many writers suffer from low self-esteem so struggle to see their own worth.  Well, it’s time to try and push through that.

Are you the best writer?  Probably not, but that’s okay.  Because even the best writers started somewhere.  They honed their skill and worked on their value and potential.

How can you Invest in Yourself

There are many ways to invest in yourself.  Here are some ideas for you:

Time

Give yourself the time to chase that dream.  Whether you just decided you wanted to be a writer or have dreamed of it your whole life, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is that you invest your time into that dream.

Maybe you need to wake up earlier to get that extra hour of writing in, or perhaps you might skip the meal out so you can reach your deadline.

Don’t wait for inspiration, block your writing time in your calendar like you would a dentist appointment or coffee date with friends.  Schedule it, prioritise it and commit to it.

For some tips and suggestions for managing your time check out these posts:

• How to find a balance between writing and life
• How my new schedule made me super productive
• How to gain better focus and get stuff done

Health

It’s not unheard of to get so caught up in chasing our dreams that we neglect ourselves.  After all, writing takes a lot of work.  There is brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, editing, marketing etc.

So it’s no real surprise that with all this busy-ness, we push self-care to the bottom of the pile.

Invest in yourself by taking the time to think about your health.  Whether that’s because of a long day’s sitting while you write, or just the need to step away and take a much-needed break.

For ideas on maintaining your health and caring for yourself, check out these posts:

• Writers, how to keep a healthy body and brain
• Why we need to keep talking about mental illness
• Why you need to give yourself a break

Money

While there is a lot you can do without money to boost your writing with such things as free courses, reading informative blogs, using free software etc, you will have to eventually throw a little money around.

This can be something as simple as paying for your professional domain name or a premium software package to gain more features.

Take the time to consider just what is worth spending money on.  For example, this website is my hub.  I have many places on the internet, but this is my central location and is updated several times a week.  It’s a repository of information for writers and bloggers.

So I took the time to invest in it.  I paid for my domain name and I paid for a Premium subscription to WordPress.

I wanted to build a following and reach out to people and I knew social media was the best way to do that.

Since I don’t have ample amounts of time to spend uploading and sharing things on several platforms every day, I invested in the scheduler Buffer and paid for the Premium package that has made my social media posting faster and efficient.

Monetary investing is not just about buying ads, it can be about giving you more time, helping you to create a professional brand or even developing your skill.

For ideas on what you could invest in, check out these posts:

• How to improve with learning through Skillshare
• How to use the writing program Scrivener (the Basics)

Goals

There’s always something you can be doing to invest in yourself.  Goals are great for this as they keep you on track.

Goals should be challenging, stretching and sometimes even putting you outside of your comfort zone.

This is one reason why Bucket Lists are such a good idea.  Most bucket list items are stretching, things you want to complete in your lifetime, many of which may need thought, planning and even money.

So not only should you be working on normal goals, whether they are New Year Resolutions, monthly goals or daily goals etc.  But you should be planning and working on your Bucket List if you have one.

Don’t wait for “someday” to start planning.  Work out a timeline, create a money calendar and start saving if there’s a cost involved.  Whether it’s a skill you want to learn such as building websites or a new country you want to visit.

These all nourish the soul and can add new layers to your writing and marketing.

For thoughts on stretching goals and Bucket lists, check out these posts:

• Why it’s good to have a Bucket List
• How to make use of locations in your marketing
• How to make the most of your goals

Get Support

While the act of writing can often be a solitary task, the broader sense of being a writer does not have to be.

Most writers are wonderful, friendly, supportive people who want nothing more than to encourage each other.

So reach out.  Whether that is to build a network of beta readers, a street team, find a mentor or a coach, or even just make new friends who can get as excited about your work as you are.

For ideas on reaching out to the community, check out these posts:

• Why you need to be part of the Writing Community
• How to build a strong Peer Support network

 

Tell me what you do to invest in yourself

Happy writing

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