What is the best Investment you’ve ever made? Historical analysis suggests an investor in the U.S. Stock Market can reasonably count on an average annual return of 8-10%. There will be good years and bad to live through, but that’s a pretty good return for your money.

While the stock Market is known as the great creator of wealth, it’s not the best investment you can ever make. It’s also not land, rental properties, CDs, bonds, or commodities. None of those will bring the level of return needed to really succeed in your life, in your career and with your finances.

One investment outshines all these in terms of total lifetime return. That’s the investment you make in yourself. Nothing will move you forward quicker, push you farther and have more lasting impact than the time and money spent on oneself. Here’s how.

Why Investing In Yourself Is the Best Investment

An investment in yourself is a guaranteed return every time. Whatever you choose to do, it will produce a tangible result every time that will make you a better person.

Investing in yourself will help you gain knowledge. You will build confidence as you have success with new things. It will teach you lessons you could never have learned otherwise.

It also has the chance to produce financial returns far better than you could produce in the stock market (at least in the short term).

Investing in yourself is the best investment as it relates to the advancement of your career. Your career is the biggest wealth generating mechanism you will ever have. Because it is so, it’s worth spending money in this area to enhance your career opportunities.

This isn’t just theory. Here’s an example from our life of how this worked.

Several years ago my wife decided she wanted to switch careers from high school math teacher to CPA. That’s a pretty big leap, one that was incredibly scary to pursue. We knew it would take considerable money and time for her to return to grad school. However, there was no way she could pursue this position without these sacrifices. So we decided to invest in tuition payments for her classes.

At the time, we weren’t sure if it would be worth it. But now, looking back at it, I can say it absolutely was. Her salary now as a CPA is significantly higher. Additionally, the prospects for career advancement going forward are limitless, bound only by her personal desire for what she wants to become.

But just think about the math if you need some more encouragement. If you can double your salary from $30,000 to $60,000 per year, that’s a difference of $600,000 over 20 years assuming no raises whatsoever. But also consider that that amount becomes even more significant when we consider how your excess earnings could be invested in the stock market generating the 8-10% returns I mentioned above.

Ways to Invest in Yourself

As I’ve already showed, paying for further education or a certification of some kind to advance your career is one way to invest in yourself. But there are a great many ways to gain the knowledge or experience you need to move forward and improve your life. Here are a few others to think about:

1. Read great books. Research shows us that the average millionaire reads one book a month. That’s certainly doable and relatively inexpensive.

2. Listen to podcasts. Find a podcast that works for you and listen to them in the car, when you prepare dinner, as you get ready in the morning or right before bed.

3. Eat healthier and exercise. You won’t have the energy and stamina to tackle challenges if junk is going into your body and your muscles are lying dormant.

4. Join a club, social organization or other like-minded community. This action is all about helping connect with others. Opportunities often come not by what you know but by whom you know.

5. Attend conferences in your field. These are generally cheaper than a full-blown education and can provide the necessary training you need. Plus, it’s another great place for making connections.

Related Content: 10 Effective Strategies That Will Make You Better at Networking

6. Enhance your spiritual side. In addition to the physical body, the soul needs to be strengthened so it can endure difficult times ahead. So meditate, read the Bible, go to your local church and or simply be open in sharing with others what is on your heart.

7. Find accountability partners, a mentor or life coach. These people are designed to keep you focused and on track. Furthermore and more importantly, they can often provide that little push we are unable to give ourselves.

8. Replace some bad habits with new ones. We all have junk in the closet that needs to go. Identify yours and then build some good habits to rid yourself of the bad.

9. Practice gratitude. We are so blessed already. Dwell routinely on and be thankful for what you do have, not on what you don’t.

Related content: 15 Bible Verses to Remind Us to Be Thankful

10. Learn the basics of a new language. In our ever-diversifying society, employers need people with language skills. This could be something that stands out on your resume and separates you from job applicants.

11. Take a personality test. You may not know in which direction to proceed until you know more about yourself. Something like the DISC profile may be just what you need.

12. Get organized, set schedules and learn to develop goals. You can’t move forward unless you are on top of your daily routine and have some targets to hit. He who aims at nothing will hit it every time.

Related Content: How to Set Goals: Make Them SMART

13. Participate in activities that promote peace and relaxation. Listen to music, go for walks or get a massage. Write. Cook. Paint. Go to a museum, do yoga or lay out at the beach. Whatever works for you…just learn to relax and recharge.

14. Play. Life’s going to get dull real fast if you don’t let your hair down every once in awhile. So enjoy some moments of frivolity simply for the fun of it.

There are times when focusing on yourself is the best investment you could make. It’s OK to be a little selfish in this regard. Be brave and figure out what you need to move forward and do it. Some great returns are waiting.

Questions: Have you ever considered investing in yourself as the best investment you could make? What could you do now to improve your circumstances and financial picture?

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