Hello, and welcome to the traveling Introvert. Today I want to talk about why people delay in investing professionally in themselves as well as there's potential consequences. So one of the things that happens a lot is I'll get people reach out to me, they're followed by work, they know who I am, we have a little chat and then they kind of back out. And I get various reasons. But the key thing is here are a few of the reasons that stay true with everyone no matter what it
is they're saying. There is sometimes some self doubt and impostor syndrome in there because they might struggle with feeling unworthy or inadequate. And so they don't deserve to go ahead and put sort of stock into bettering themselves professionally. They might feel it's a them problem, but they don't necessarily want to do the inner work to fix it. And this can hinder their confidence to invest in
themselves and pursue professional growth opportunities. They might think that the might be judged or criticized. The fear of being evaluated or perceived negatively can hold them back. There's so many times that I've heard people say well, I can't have this as a line item for my boss. I can't have impostor syndrome coaching as a line item to give to my boss. I can't
have introvert coaching as a line item to my boss. It has to be covered and masked as leadership coaching or professional growth or insert thing here to be more palatable for the culture that the are working in. The other thing can be overthinking and analysis paralysis, sort of deeply analyzing situations and options can lead to overthinking and then not making an actual decision. The overthinking can cause delays in investing in themselves. So many people this is so common.
People won't invest in themselves until it's too late, when they've already been let go, when they already need to look for a new job. Instead of just interviewing all the time, you should always be interviewing. You don't know what's out there, you don't know what dream job might pop up, you don't know what the rates are as far as salary is concerned if you're not out there interviewing. You don't make good
relationships with recruiters if you're not out there interviewing. But I notice a lot of people just kind of wait until the shoe drops and they're like oh, I need to do this thing. Oh, but I'm not sure where my money is coming from. So I shouldn't invest in myself. Yes, you should always be investing in yourself all the time. Another thing is sort of they want to prioritize others over themselves. Putting themselves first as an introvert might be
hard. They prioritize the needs and well being of others. Hence they will deal with back to back to back meetings even though it is draining for them and normally it is at the expense of their own growth and development. The selfless mindset can result in delaying an investments of themselves, both professionally and personally. And this leads to delayed growth. I've had managers come to me saying, I know that this person needs coaching, but they're not open to coaching because they don't
think they need it. They have an outside external source that is willing to pay for it, that is willing to help them and guide them. But they won't do it because of fear or because they don't think they need it, or because they don't have enough time, because they're overwhelmed, because they are not managing their time and their energy well enough to be able
to take that time and prioritize personal growth. And to be fair, personal growth and professional growth should be on your calendar just as much as meetings that you have one on one with your managers once a week or once a month. You should have that time blocked out anyway. The more and the longer you delay in investing in yourself, be it with in health or in medical or professional growth or personal growth, the longer that you delay, the bigger the missed opportunities
it could be. Missed career opportunities, it could be stagnation, reduced job satisfaction, all of it can limit your potential for career advancement. Acquiring new skills and reaching your goals should be something that is just a constant presence in your life, always learning. And
it doesn't necessarily have to be direct correlation to your work. But if you are taking an interest in yourself and you are putting yourself first rather than others, you will make the time to watch videos or listen to podcasts to aid your professional and personal growth. It can only be better for you. And one of these things, along with the overthinking and the fear of judgment and putting other people first, means you end up not promoting yourself
as well. You find it challenging to showcase your skills and accomplishments because you didn't go ahead and get that help that you needed, whether it's seeking a mentor or asking someone for advice. So please treat yourself like your best client. Recognize your reasons and the potential consequences you should address and overcome those barriers with self awareness, support and intentional action. You can go ahead and put yourself first. Thank you for listening. This is
Janice@thecuryintrat.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.