How to overcome the fear of investing in yourself
I felt so ready to write this blog post because I’m finally starting to recognise the huge value of investing in myself.
Sometimes things creep up on us, slowly and sneakily, and the benefits of investing in my health, my business and my wealth are really starting to be seen in so many wonderful ways.
When we think of investment, we tend to think of money; investing money to make more money. Yet, the type of investment I’m talking about is so much richer and more dynamic than that.
It could be spending money on your wellbeing, the path of healing, taking supplements and improving your diet, an updated wardrobe, joining a training, books and educational resources, access to memberships, outdoor activities that bring you joy, subscriptions for services, courses, gym memberships, or one-on-one sessions with someone who you know can help you on your journey.
I’m talking about investing in your physical health, your emotional wellbeing, your spiritual awakening, as well as on all the subtle levels in-between, that creates such beautiful shifts in so many areas of your life.
Yet, for some of us, we struggle to invest and allow ourselves to receive the help, support and guidance that we need to take us to the next level, and this is what I want to explore, because last year I was that person too.
There can be all sorts of reasons why investment is hard. It might be that we’re lacking the financial resources, it could be that we’re stuck in uncertainty of what the best choice is for us to invest in, or it could be that we’re scared of what might, or might not happen, if we make that choice.
Learning to trust your intuition
When I was fresh out of my Kinesiology training back in 2019 I had a really bad experience with a group that promised to help me grow my business, and then tried to steal £10,000 from me in exchange for a handful of coaching sessions.
They operated behind a mask of false sincerity and care, using the classic fear-based manipulative tactics that preyed on people’s insecurities, using fear, pressure and emotional drivers to manipulate their way into their wallets and leave them with nothing to show for it.
As you can tell, this really is something that traumatised me deeply and stopped me from seeking the help I needed. It took me years to build up my trust again, but when I did, I invested in someone who worked from a place of integrity and love, who helped me to take my business to the next level.
All of our life experiences teach us something valuable, and for me, this one taught me to trust my gut feeling (which I did, I actually ran away from the seminar halfway through and it felt so good).
Your intuition is your best friend so once you learn to tune into it, you’ll be able to make decisions with so much more confidence and ease. And if, like me, you’ve had a bad experience from investing in yourself in the past and had your fingers burnt, don’t let that stop you from trying something new.
When you’re thinking of investing your time, energy and money into something you haven’t done before, always do your research and let yourself feel the energy, and this combined approach will help you find a clear path forward.
Overcome a lack of trust and fear of the unknown
One of the major blocks I also experienced when it came to investing in myself was the fear that it wouldn’t work out.
This is a really common one and ties in to a much larger theme all around lack of trust.
We can’t anticipate the future, we have no idea whether something will work out the way we want it to or not, so sometimes in these situations we have to surrender control.
I write about aparigraha a lot, the beautiful concept of allowing yourself to let go. When we are holding onto an expectation of how we want something to arrive into our reality, it’s like a clenched first that nothing can get into. Yet, when we unfurl our palm and open ourselves up, all sorts of new and exciting wonders, that we never even expected, can come in to the space we’ve created.
This all ties back to our intuition. The more we get an intuitive nudge about something, an opening of our heart space and a settled feeling in our solar plexus areas, the easier it is to lean into trust.
Yet, when we make a decision based on fear or lack, going against our intuition within, the more we seek to control the outcome, making us blinkered and closed up.
When we invest in ourselves by starting something new we need our energy to stay open, flexible and fluid. This allows us to take in the full breadth of the experience, without being hampered by the negative beliefs of the ego making us doubt and question our decision.
Control is just the ego needing to stay in charge, so when we let that ego gently go, we can allow ourselves to lean back and receive what is meant for us.
Feeling worthy of success
Another deeper fear that lurks below the surface of making the decision to invest in ourselves is to do with the fear of success.
While the fear of something not working out can be really prevalent, the fear of success can almost be even stronger.
Whenever you invest in yourself you are issued an invitation to step into a new level of being. As I mentioned earlier, most of us don’t like change, yet change is inevitable. It literally happens every day of our lives and is something we need to lovingly let go of fearing if we are to step into a new paradigm of consciousness.
Investment always brings success in some form or another, and three of the fears we can often have around success is whether we’re deserving of it, whether we can handle it and whether it will stay or disappear.
We are all worthy of abundance, wonder, magic and beauty in our lives, yet so few of us truly believe that at our core. It’s so easy for us to say it, and even easier to write it as I’m doing now, but to really embody it is an entirely new thing completely.
Knowing whether we can handle success is also all about our self-worth and knowing what we’re truly capable of, and wondering whether that success will stay or disappear is also all about our belief in ourselves that whatever happens, we’ll be ok and we’ll be able to handle it.
As you can see, it all comes down to confidence and the strength of our inner belief and worthiness.
Clearing the fears that are blocking our expansion
So, now that we know why we might be scared to invest in ourselves, what can we do about it?
The first thing we need to get clear on is what exactly it is that’s stopping us from making a decision to invest in our future, because that’s what investing is all about. The future is just an extension of the present moment, so everything that we’re doing for ourselves now is crafting the version of ourselves tomorrow,
And now is always the perfect moment to start.
If there’s a fear that you recognise then I invite you to dive a little deeper into what exactly it is. This is where writing it down can be extremely helpful in getting clarity on what’s blocking you from taking the steps to expand.
If you’re fearful of making a decision, also know that there is no such thing as a right or wrong decision.
I believe that when we make decisions from fear or lack, a place of lower consciousness, they tend to create situations that aren’t aligned with our higher selves. Yet when we make decisions from trust and love, inspired from within, the outcomes are far more aligned and conducive to our growth.
Start paying more attention to your intuition and lean away from taking rash and impulsive decisions. Take your time, slow down, research what it is that you’re wanting to invest in for yourself and give yourself the space to connect with your intuition, as well as your rational mind, so you can come to a balanced decision that feels good all round.
You have the power to go in any direction you choose and sometimes it can take some time to get used to this power.
Yet, when you realise that it’s all within you and you are worthy to receive the support, investing in yourself becomes easy, joyful and expansive for you on every level of your life.
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