personal development and personal investment.  When I say personal development and investment, I mean investing in things that make you grow as a person and have the potential to launch you to the next level.  For example, if you have a job interview, you need to wear a nice suit and shoes to the interview.  I’m not saying go out and spend $1,000 on a custom suit and expensive shoes, but what I am saying is wear a suit that fits and is in good condition and nice polished shoes.  Interviewers judge candidates based on appearance and if you do not look professional you may limit your ability to get the job which can hinder your financial growth potential.

Alternatively, if you are employed, you need to be cognizant of the brand that you convey.  If you don’t have a professional wardrobe, you need to get one.  If you want to be successful, then you need to act and dress the part.  Again, I am not saying go out and spend a ton of money on a new wardrobe, but what you can do is pick up pieces over time and on sale until you build a nice, professional wardrobe.  Also, many people already own a lot of clothes, and simple swaps and different ways to pair items together can make all the difference.

 Investment in mental growth is also key.  I truly believe that garbage in equals garbage out, and too many people spend a lot of time and money feeding their mind with trash.  Essentially, they are blocking their mental development and limiting their growth.  Since I have a long commute, I recently decided to turn my car into a mobile learning facility.  I listen to CDs from church, audio books, and training CDs from successful people.  I see where I want to be in the next 5 – 10 years, so I look for successful people, learn from them, and then apply those lessons in my life.

I look at my book purchases and my Audible app subscription as an investment.  Many people thought that I was crazy when I spent $200 on a book and audio cd combination.  The book was a success testimony combined with a workbook designed to help change your thinking to position yourself for success.  I view that as an investment in myself.  That money is helping me to feed my mind with success stories.  I’m investing in the mentality change needed to help attract the things that I want in my life.  It’s the Law of Attraction.

I’m not saying that you need to spend a ton of money on books and audio books.  There are books and audio books that you can borrow from the library for free.  Borrow books from your friends.  Whenever I go to my friends’ homes, I look on their bookshelf to see if there is anything that I would be interested in reading.  The key is focusing on becoming a better person, feeding your mind with information, and managing your personal brand if you want to succeed.  Becoming a better person requires reading (or listening to an audio book), and committing the time to work on yourself.  It’s not easy, and it takes time, but practice makes perfect!

What will you start doing to contribute to your personal development?  Be sure to let me know in the comments!

 Aisha Taylor is a #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of the book “5+5 FNPhenomenal Ways to Save $100 This Week Without Killing Your Lifestyle”, and the Founder of FNPhenomenal (Frugal –n- Phenomenal). FNPhenomenal helps women to break the vicious cycle of making money, but not keeping it.  FNPhenomenal provides education about money management, empowers women to take control of their lives, develop a healthier relationship with money, and pursue being phenomenal.

Visit Aisha online at www.FNPhenomenal.com

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[info_box type=”alert_box”]If you want to practice self-care, you have to care for your finances.  My book, The Happy Finances Challenge, is designed to help you learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness in just 42 days. [/info_box]