Seven ways to reinvest in yourself

The investments we make in ourselves will always deliver the most profitable returns,” noted American author Samner Davenport. This means that if you’re in business, or are planning to go into it, you need to learn to prioritise your well-being, rather than being overly focused on your company, to get the best return on investment.

Whether it means getting a life coach, dropping some habits or forcing your aside, it’s your responsibility to do whatever you can to take care of yourself so you can give the best to your business. Here are seven ways to invest in yourself.

1. Relax (find a way out)

Contrary to the misconception that running your own business gives you control over your free time, entrepreneurs will find they’re required to put in more and more hours as the business grows.

However, working non-stop compromises your ability to work effectively. If you don’t take a break, you’re unlikely to be able to deal with the highs and lows of business, like competition, profits and losses, or customer complaints, in a way that doesn’t hurt your business. Learn to set time aside to unwind and recover the strength sapped by a crazy work schedule. Rejuvenate by taking a short vacation or doing something you like that is totally unrelated to work.

2. Start a constructive habit

Start doing something that will improve your personal growth. You could start by acknowledging your weaknesses and beginning a routine that will help you tackle them.

You can achieve this by mapping out what you’d like to achieve, and reviewing your progress weekly.

You could also take up volunteering – there are few things as likely to teach you the value of life as stepping outside yourself and helping others.

3. Go back to school

Going back to school is not just about academic qualifications, but also personal development. These days you can sign up for short courses on all sorts of interesting things.

If you’re really strapped for time, but you still know there are skills you need that would to improve your business, then sign up for short classes that address your particular issues. Here, you’re looking at book keeping, coding or even entrepreneurship 101.

But if you’re looking for a fun break that also develops you, why not take up interior design, acting, foreign language, karate or cooking classes – courses that speak to your secondary interests.

Going back to school also gives you an opportunity to network with people who share your interests, and you might find a mentor in your teacher.

4. Read widely

“Read 500 pages ... every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it,” Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest people, said.

Many top entrepreneurs read books to increase their knowledge; Buffett spends 80 per cent of his time in the office reading to get accurate facts.

Read books to find out what you do and do not like, and for both business purposes and leisure. Books enhance your communication and open up your mind to new ideas that you can incorporate into your business.

5. Network

Look out for any networking opportunities with fellow entrepreneurs and listen to each person’s unique experience in business.

Rather than seeing networking as a way to sell your business, look at it as a way to build contacts and strong relationships. Interacting with like-minded people will give you an opportunity to create interpersonal relations that could turn into meaningful friendships.

Also, networking gives you a break from the monotony of running your business and helps you focus on what else is happening around you.

6. Get a mentor

You can only teach yourself so much. Even one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, had a mentor in the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Mentors will help you fast forward your way to success because they have more experience and can guide you, so you’re not wasting time making mistakes they already did and learnt from.

They can inspire you and get you thinking; they will open your eyes to the opportunities that exist, and will challenge you to become a better version of yourself. A good mentor will also have the right connections to help build your business.

7. Lead a healthy life

Do not discount the importance of being healthy when running your own business. When you have a busy schedule, you need all the energy you can get to keep going.

Focus on your personal health by sparing time to work out or do something recreational, getting enough sleep and eating right. It’s easy to get into the habit of grabbing junk food on your way to client meetings, or snacking while in traffic. This doesn’t provide the kind of building blocks your body needs to refuel.

Try and make it part of your lifestyle to do something healthy every day.