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Spring has sprung, and flowers are blossoming. Getting out into nature is wonderful during this time of year. What is not wonderful is watching the gyrations of the stock market. Watching your investments decline 鈥� and thinking of all of the people in the world who are suffering 鈥� can be daunting. Many things are outside of our control, so I suggest you invest in yourself over the next several months.

I am a firm believer that money does not buy happiness. Having enough money definitely impacts our happiness, but having money does not guarantee that we will be happy. Psychologist Daniel Gilbert said it best: 鈥淢oney itself doesn鈥檛 make you happy. What can make you happy is what you do with it.鈥�

We often lose sight of the purpose of money, and accumulating more becomes the dominant goal. Our society gives money enormous power. Morgan Housel, in his book 鈥淭he Psychology of Money,鈥� states: 鈥淭he highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up every morning and say, 鈥業 can do whatever I want today.鈥濃�� He goes on to say: 鈥淭he ability to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, for as long as you want, is priceless.鈥�

Having the freedom to choose what you do is a foreign concept for folks who are working Monday through Friday, trying to keep food on the table and saving for retirement. Taking care of children, spouses and a household 鈥� along with working full time 鈥� is exhausting. Even retirees struggle with the concept of freedom to do what they choose. If we are not working full-time, we tend to fill our days with responsibilities and tasks, rarely leaving any room for spontaneity.

So, for the spring and summer months of April through August, let鈥檚 focus on trying something new. If you embrace the idea of investing in yourself, what would you like to do?

Would you add something to your daily schedule 鈥� such as a short walk after dinner? Would you buy yourself something you will enjoy, or plan a trip? Of course, a trip could be a big vacation or simply a day trip to a nearby town. Would you arrange to spend more time with family members or friends, plan a family gathering, a picnic, or a concert at the zoo or botanical garden? Would you commit to getting more exercise or getting outside more often? Would you plant a garden, or visit a garden store or a museum? The possibilities are endless.

Would you decide to declutter a part of your home or buy new pillows for your sofa in a bright color? Would you explore doing some volunteer work or researching some charities you want to support? Would you carve out time in your daily schedule to read or listen to music?

Would you pick up the instrument you played in high school or take singing lessons? Would you spend a day exploring shops or plan to meet a friend for lunch?

Some of the ideas above involve spending money. Others do not. They all involve getting us out of our daily routine to try something new.

I鈥檒l share how I plan to invest in myself during April through August. I am an avid walker, but I rarely do any exercises involving stretching or strength. As we get older, stretching and strength work are essential for maintaining flexibility. Also, I have been wanting to learn how to sketch and paint in a very casual way. I am certain I will fail if I plan to carve out a lot of time for either of these, so I am focused on stacking them together into a 鈥減ractice.鈥� I plan to do 15 minutes of stretching and strength training, followed by 15 minutes of sketching and painting five days a week. If I end up devoting more than 15 minutes to each, that will be great. If not, 15 minutes is sufficient. I鈥檓 learning with new skills that consistency and frequent 鈥減ractice鈥� are what is important.

Perfectionism is not allowed

The concept of practice requires that we eliminate perfectionism, which is a negative trait that can prevent us from trying new things. Suleika Jaouad, the author of 鈥淏eyond Two Kingdoms鈥� and 鈥淭he Book of Alchemy,鈥� wrote about picking up her double bass instrument after not touching it for many years, and playing during her recent book tour with her husband, musician Jon Batiste. Suleika had been on a path as a teenager to become a classical musician.

When Jon suggested she play it while he played piano during her book tour events, her first reaction was an emphatic 鈥淣o!鈥� When she finally relented, she described the experience like this: 鈥淪ometimes I surprised myself by playing in tune. Often, I didn鈥檛. But every time, I felt unexpectedly exhilarated 鈥� not because I was good, but because being good was no longer the point.鈥�

Think about what would bring you joy and how you plan to invest in yourself over the next five months. Please email me what you chose and how it is going. And most importantly, enjoy your spring and summer!

Donna Skeels Cygan, CFP庐, MBA, is the author of 鈥淭he Joy of Financial Security.鈥� She owned a fee-only financial planning firm in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for over 20 years before recently retiring. She welcomes emails from readers at donna@donnaskeelscygan.com.