The phrase “invest in yourself” has popped up a lot in my life lately.  Most recently, the amazing Tracy Imm was interviewing me for a podcast and we got into the discussion of how we have invested in ourselves over the years…and how much it paid off every single time we did it.

I can pinpoint the EXACT moment I made the decision to invest in myself…and I have never stopped since. More on that in a minute.

When I talk to people about the importance of investing in yourself, I usually get an immediate response back telling me why they can’t make the investment…and it always boils down to two things:  lack of time and/or lack of money.

Bottom line….both of these reasons are an excuse.  I know they are. I made both of them for a really long time.  Want to know what the REAL reason is? Fear. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown.  Fear of what others will think. Fear that it will be hard.

The minute you STOP making excuses, the minute you let go of that fear…the minute you decide to invest in yourself…..THAT is where the magic starts.

When I knew I needed help moving up in my business, I reached out to some #bossbabes that I admire and asked them for advice on how to take that next big step.  They all shared various programs and courses. Most of these were out of my budget. My initial reaction was “I can’t afford that.” I couldn’t. That was my reality and I am not someone comfortable with ringing up credit card debt I can not pay off in a month.

Now, I could have walked away and given up…but I didn’t.  I decided to think about what I COULD afford to do. I set the budget I COULD afford and got creative on how to spend it.  I could afford a few books and I could afford a low-cost on-line course.

(Side note:  There is a reason these things cost money….when you make the financial investment, you SHOW UP. )

Guess what?  It paid off. I learned new skills, applied them to my business, and my revenue grew.  I made back that initial investment plus much more.

Now I was in a position to afford something a little more to take that next step.  I sought out some group programs (they are typically less expensive than one-on-one work).

Once again, I made the financial investment, therefore the time investment…and yet again, I saw fabulous results in my business.

Starting to see the pattern??

The next time you tell yourself you can’t afford to invest in yourself, think of me on your shoulder shouting, “You can’t afford NOT to!”  Seriously. Start small if you have to…but start somewhere.

Invest in yourself.  You are worth it.