Having Children Requires a Sizable Investment
Anyone who has kids know that they are an investment. Raising them requires a lot of time and a lot of money.
Last week, CNN let parents like me know exactly how much it cost when they reported that it costs $233,610 to raise a child through age 17!
Yes, you read that statistic correctly! I did not forget a decimal place; an average middle income couple spends over a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child through high school.
Add on college to these costs, and the price of raising a child skyrockets even higher.
Where’s the Money?
Like many other people, I read the statistic regarding the cost of raising a child and wonder how it can be correct. After all, most “average” people like me sometimes struggle to find the couple hundred dollars to pay the next dance or gymnastics bill. We surely don’t have a quarter of a million dollars available to spend.
But, when you break it down, the numbers work out.
The article went on to explain that, on average, most families spend between $12,350 and nearly $14,000 a year to raise a child. Multiply that figure by 17 and get to a quarter of a million dollars.
Thank God for Kids
Although the majority of adults realize that raising children is often outrageously expensive and requires a major commitment of time, the majority of adults are still deciding to have children. Obviously, these parents believe that the “returns” are worth the investment. Or, that sometimes children can provide more satisfactions than could be obtained spending the quarter of a million dollars on other expenditures.
In other words, spending money on something valuable can produce both tangible and non-tangible results.
Where Did You Get the Money?
Most “average” people cannot produce a quarter of a million dollars. However, as previously mentioned, most people do manage to “find” that amount of money over seventeen years.
Children aren’t the Only Important Investment
After hearing about the amount of money spent on raising children, I couldn’t help but think about the importance of investing.
For instance, how often have we heard about the compound effect of saving money early and consistently for retirement.
However, investing in stocks, bonds, IRAs, and 401Ks are the only important investment. In fact, I argue that investing in your well being is just as important as investing in your retirement. After all, if your spiritual and emotional needs are taken care of, you are likely to be in a place that will allow you to obtain a higher paying job.
So many people understand the rewards of investing in their children. Yet, they fail to understand the rewards of investing in themselves. They enroll their child in soccer or dance so that they can stay active, or learn to function as a productive member of a team. Or, they hire a math tutor so that their child will experience less struggles in school. They bring their child to Disney so that their child can experience a fun trip.
That is, parents will often spend money on their children without hesitation if they feel that there are potential rewards. However, these same people will hesitate spending money on something that would provide them with great benefits and/or rewards.
Perspective from A Business Owner
As the owner of a yoga studio, I see it often. People are willing to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on dance, hockey, study abroad programs, etc. for their children. However, they are often hesitant to buy a themselves a package of yoga classes even though the yoga classes could provide them with more flexibility or energy to play with their children, better stress management techniques to handle the day-to-day stress at work, more mindfulness to help make clear decisions, or more strength and flexibility to simply feel better in their own skin.
Granted, sometimes it is about the money. I get it. Since divorcing, money is tighter than it used to be, and I am very selective about where I do spend the money that isn’t already allotted for something necessary.
Trust me, I understand. I work three jobs to pay the bills. I don’t spend money foolishly but I always feel like I need more money to get by.
But, in reality, I have always been able to get by. By practicing the laws of spiritual prosperity found in Edwene Gaines’ The Four Laws of Spiritual Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance I have found that the universe truly does support you, and money has manifested when I really need it.
It Isn’t All About the Money
But, I also know that sometimes, it isn’t about the money. Sometimes investing in yourself can be frightening in ways that have nothing to do with money.
Sometimes people fail to invest in themselves because they are afraid that others will judge them if they indulge in the expensive new dress or bracelet that they have been wanting.
Or, maybe they fail to sign up for the yoga class that they have been wanting to try because they are afraid that the class may be too challenging. In fact, it is possible that they may even be fearful that someone will think that you “look funny” while trying a pose.<
Or, they fail to sign up for the classes or workshops that they consider taking because they are afraid of taking a risk to try something in which they are not guaranteed to succeed. For instance, when recently teaching a course on Vision Boards and goal setting, I was asked if I could guarantee that their vision board would guarantee them to manifest their goal. I responded honestly, saying that there was no guarantee.
HOWEVER, choosing not to enroll in the class made it less likely that they would take focused action towards meeting their goals. In other words, doing nothing was NOT likely to produce to meaningful results.
The Importance of Investing in Yourself
Knowledge is Power
The popular saying says that “knowledge is power.” That is, once you know something, you are equipped to position yourself better.
While investing in yourself, it is likely that you may:
Learn a new skill that lands you a better job or raise at your current job.
Learn a new exercise that alleviates your back pain.
Learn a new method of managing your personal business that saves you time or money.
Learn a new investment strategy that yields a new return.
Learn how to better communicate with your partner.
Learn how to empower yourself to finally go after what you want.
Learn how to finally achieve a lifelong goal.
Experience enlightenment.
You MUST Invest
To experience the gains, you must commit to making an investment.
Sometimes, you must invest time, and sometimes you must invest money. Often times, you need to invest TIME and MONEY.
Take Action
So if you have been wanting to take that yoga class, do it.
If you want to hire a personal trainer, do it.
If you want to go back to school to make that career change that you want to make, do it.
And don’t wait. Do it now, and commit to making the investment to create a more powerful, smarter, calmer, confident, talented, etc. YOU!!
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