Hair stylists, personal trainers, financial advisors, therapists…in this day and age it's important to have a good team of people to help keep you looking and feeling great. Like any celebrity knows, having a core group of good professionals is invaluable. A competent bunch can really help keep you in check and put your best face forward. (And don't we all deserve a little celebrity treatment from time to time?) My philosophy has always been that if you have a goal, look for guidance from someone who embodies what you want to achieve, who lives and breathes it every single day. So these days I'm taking a little help from the professionals and as a result I'm getting my finances in order, I'm healthier than I've ever been and I'm pretty sure my hair has never looked better. When I really decided to commit to therapy it just seemed like a natural extension of this principle.
Now let's cut to the reality of it: there's a reason why a lot of these services are usually attainable only to celebrities - it costs quite the pretty penny to keep a crew like this! So when my financial advisors put me on a strict budget (one of the many reasons that I both love and hate them) I really had to go through my spending with a fine toothed comb. Between groceries (feeling pressure to buy organic anyone?) and gas prices going crazy the way they are right now and other quote-unquote necessities, something had to give. Therapy seemed like an easy area to cut back. I figured if I could cut my weekly sessions in half it would give me the little extra cushion I needed to conform to my new budget. With two sessions a month I felt I could still reap some good benefits, and besides, I had been making a lot of progress lately… I ran the idea by P and she seemed receptive to it but she also advised me to give it some thought.
When I first considered cutting back on therapy I was excited to have found what seemed to be a 'loophole' in my budget but I also felt some resistance to the idea. I really look forward to my therapy sessions on Tuesdays as 'me time' and, at the risk of sounding selfish, I really didn't want to have to give it up. That one little hour of my week is my most treasured indulgence. Imagine stealing away from work in the middle of the day for coffee with your two best friends - it's kind of like that. And yet it's so much more than that. Everyone knows what a great sounding board a good hair stylist can be and personal trainers are natural motivators by trade (and trust me, my trainer has come up with some 'wax on, wax off' style words of wisdom - picture a Jamaican Mr. Miyagi!) but there's really nothing quite like a good therapist.
Therapy has provided me with insight and skills that continue to enrich all aspects of my life. It has been hands down the best thing I've ever done for myself. I don't claim to be in a position to give anyone financial advice but in today's economy it seems as though almost any investment is risky so you might as well take the safe bet and invest in yourself. And really, what could be better use of your money? Investing in myself through therapy is investing in my future. It's investing in making better future decisions for myself, investing in better future relationships and investing in a more fulfilling and prosperous future in general. So, while I plan to keep contributing to my retirement and savings funds I think I'll also continue to take the sure thing and invest in myself -I'd hate to skimp there and risk not reaching my true potential.
So how does all of this fit into my aforementioned budget you ask? Well I haven't exactly figured that out yet but clearly its going to need some more tweaking. I'll probably look to my financial advisors for some guidance there (I'll keep you posted). Like anything else, it's a process but I like to believe that where there's a will, there's a way. All I know for sure is that the return on this particular investment is going to be huge.
-k
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