How to invest in yourself

I wanted to do this topic already for quite a while as I feel incredibly passionate about it! I am the kind of person who loves to start anew – new apartment, new studies, new city, new people, new scented candle…the freshness of starting your life over from another perspective and adding something new of value to your life – nothing can beat it. It is full of its wonderful possibility and hope and makes me feel like anything is possible if you really set your mind to it. Now, I understand this is not a comfortable attitude for everyone. I thought of writing a list of things you can explore and maybe giving you at least a bit of encouragement and inspiration to think about stepping out of that comfort zone.

Very often, we also find ourselves in sort of blind street situations. Something feels off; we are not entirely sure what is out of alignment, but we are not quite happy. We may be denying ourselves something we have wanted already for a while because we can't afford it, or we feel some relationships in our lives can't seem to work as we wish. Perhaps we struggle with our physical or mental health. Either way, I find it helpful to think about the following topics. I firmly believe reassessing them and improving in those areas of life automatically reduces that feeling of emptiness, helping us regain some control, and naturally realigns us with our right path or purpose.

-       Education

This one is quite the obvious one. But I don't mean only a university degree – Any education or knowledge you can gain will benefit you in some way, may this be some handy craft or a language certificate, a new hobby or interest, or attending a masterclass or online course… Knowledge is power. One more thing that no one particularly likes, but it happens to be true – people do value degrees and official papers. In countries where I have lived or gained professional experiences (Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland), it hits differently when you have a master's degree or have attended a masterclass with this and that influential person. You get looked at differently, and I don't think this will change anytime soon. Of course, this is not the most important thing! The key thing is searching for experience and gaining it consistently. Be active, volunteer, work, and participate in areas of your interests. Connect with people who know more and do better. That is what truly makes a difference in the end, and there is no way around it on the path to success.

-       Health

Another obvious one. You can have all the fame, money, and love in the world; without health, you won't be able to enjoy it. Do you regularly visit your dentist? When was the last time you had your birthmarks/breasts checked? Do you eat well and take care of your body? The same goes for mental health. Do you have proper stress coping mechanisms? How do you deal with your addictive habits? How true are you to your values and principles?

More often than not, physical and mental health go hand in hand; only when you have truly taken care of your body can you wipe the slate clean enough to see what else needs to be fought with on a mental plain.

-       Dream Persona

And we are back at the topic we have already touched upon previously and keeps popping up. It is the topic of the goals, of the vision you have for yourself (check out my blog post about Setting Goals). Who do you want to be as a person? In your wildest imagination – how do you see yourself? What does your dream persona look like, what do they wear, what kind of environment they live in? How does it FEEL to be them?

And so what if you can't decide on that one version? Life is one continuous change; you can still adapt and change that personality or look at any time. It is crucial you START somewhere and keep going. Have fun with it, whatever, do it. If that means making a collage with Hailey Bieber/Arnold Schwarzenegger inspo, so be it; who actually gives a s*it? But you wake up every day, and you act like it, f*ck everyone giving you a side eye, saying it's Delulu, and who do you think you are. We have this one life, and it is yours to live, so you better stop wasting time doubting yourself all the time and f-ing enjoy it. (sorry, not sorry for coursing)

-       Stepping out of the comfort zone

Is there something you know you are bad at? I have always felt very insecure about dancing. I felt like I didn't know how to move my body, and "What if I stepped on his toes?" or "What if people look at me weird?" - do we realize how many things we don't do in a day because we are afraid of what others might think? And I am definitely not here to tell you, "Oh, people don't actually notice those things and don't care" - sometimes they do, and sometimes they also talk about it. And so what, give them something to talk about. Does it really matter what they think when you are out there living your best life? It only matters if their words are adding to the pile of dissatisfaction and regret you already have for not starting something and being true to yourself. Actively improve the skills you think you are bad at and remove those insecurities. I worked on my dancing alone, with some headphones, in the comfort of my own room! Some might think it's super weird, but now I don't need 4 cocktails to tear it up on the dancefloor ;)

-       Networking 

This is another topic I already lightly touched upon and also one of the most essential things to master. Not only for musicians – in general. When was it ever "bad" to know many people? In all kinds of sectors, with all kinds of skills? Train yourself to become comfortable talking to people in social situations and dare to show what you bring to the table. Networking is one of the skills I attained much too late! Maybe it was insecurity, perhaps my Slavic RBF…but I didn't dare to shine in front of others – at least not in a way I would have wanted to. Unfortunately, "networking" has a bit of a negative connotation, but it can also be described as just a certain openness to meeting and getting to know new people. It is not about "what can this person do for me," but "how can I collaborate, learn, and share with this person." Musicians need to meet other musicians – we are stuck in a practice room for hours at a time; my suggestion is to be at least open to collaborations and exchanges with others, especially outside of the university walls. Making experiences with others and being open to getting to know them enriches many moments and maybe even builds strong friendships or successful professional partnerships.

And my last argument for consistent networking: when you build a habit of being open and friendly and inviting one or two smiles from someone's face, it also contributes to your own happiness :) 

-       Financial knowledge

Now, I could've summed this point up under 'Education' in general, but it deserves its own moment. A bit more personal story…Besides dancing, this area has also always represented a massive insecurity for me. I think for many reasons and in many ways. Growing up, my parents always ensured we had everything we needed: food on the table, clothes on our backs, we could pursue our hobbies, celebrate birthday parties, and go to the seaside in summer. They always did everything to support my dream, but it wasn't easy, and they made many sacrifices to make that possible. I was taught that money doesn't come easy, you must save as much as possible, desiring more material wealth is bad, etc. I am pretty sure I am not the only one whose financial knowledge leaving their parents' house consisted of being told to work and save. I knew my parents didn't have it easy, so that is why I decided to get financially independent as soon as possible. I worked summers, taught guitar, saved, invested it all in my studies, and, in the second year in Austria, finally managed to cover all of my expenses by myself – one of my proudest moments to this day. Still, I had no clue how to manage my life or my financial situation properly, even less now in a new country with this new system, laws, and guidelines, all that in a completely new language that I couldn't speak at that point. I know there are so many of you who understand this and have gone through it! It is crazy overwhelming, and unless you have a person willing to go everywhere with you, translate, and give you all the tips, you will make mistakes, and you will pay for them. You will feel overwhelmed, insecure, anxious, and sometimes downright stupid. You will probably need a long time to get to the point when you are not procrastinating about making that appointment at Finanzamt (if you know, you know). 

That is why I can't stress this point more. It is essential for one's well-being (physical and mental) and your present and future to know your way around finances. No one likes to talk about it; no one wants to deal with it – but why? Most of the time, because we don't know enough, we feel insecure. But you cannot avoid it forever; needless to say, you really shouldn't! I am now addressing especially my foreign musician friends, but it can apply to everyone: did you register your residence yet? What about your tax residence? Do you know your fundamental rights as a worker here? Guidelines for self-employment? How to write an invoice? What kind of furtherance is available to you? What kind of insurance is recommended to protect you from getting yourself into major financial trouble? How is your budgeting in alignment with your goals? Have you thought about retirement? Plan your savings and protect them from inflation? Perhaps investing in the future? And those are only a few of the questions one has to deal with, not to mention quite a couple more as non-European.

My point is – I am glad I have stopped avoiding those questions and attacked the problems head-on; I am pleased that this stubborn attitude brought me to my new education and professional path in the world of finance. Knowledge gives me peace of mind, and I wish I could gift this feeling forward to each of you who deals with the same anxiety I once had.

Well, those are just the 6 ways you can invest in yourself that flew from the top of my head – how do you want to invest in yourself more in the future? I would be super excited to hear your feedback and connect with you on Instagram! Stay tuned for more!