Feb 20 A Meaningful Story

Written by John D. Buerger, CFP®.

Billly spent his first 20-years letting life happen to him. Then he (very slowly at first) started to take control and responsibility for his actions and what came of them. Today, most all of his daily efforts are on purpose with the goal to make at least one other person's quality of life better every day.

With which person would you rather spend time? The young Billy or the Billy of today?

Which person ARE you? The young Billy or the Billy of today ... or a work in progress?

Growing Up

Billy was raised in an middle-class household in the 1950's and 60's. There was plenty of money for all the things that Billy's parents (who grew up in the Great Depression) felt were important including a nice home and a good education.

Even though he didn't need the money, he worked paper routes and (later) summer jobs. He worked because that was what people did - exchange time for money - just as he did his homework for no other reason than that it was expected.

That was all the meaning these efforts had to him.

The Shift

In his early college years Billy studied hard, but also "played" hard, too. Time and energy were expended ... but with no motivating purpose or meaning. He had friends and they certainly enjoyed "experiences" (including stories they'd rather not have their children hear), but essentially, the student travelled in whatever direction the winds of life blew him.

Part way through college, a shift began for Billy. He volunteered for some outside activities that fed one of his inner passions. Rather than doing work because "it needs to be done" or "that's what people do," he began expending time and energy on projects that let him share something that was deeply important in his life ... something that fed his soul.

All of a sudden ... his efforts had purpose and meaning ... and that has made all the difference.

And Today ...

Billy works through every day with purpose and meaning. He does his best to spend all his time, money and energy on everything for a reason and not to do it just because "that's what people do." Does he slip up? Sure, but he is working every day at getting better.

Why?

He slips up because he's human. We all are.

He works at it because doing so makes life better, richer and more fulfilling. It will improve your outlook and make you happier. It naturally tends to offer more intense relationships and bigger opportunities.

A Universal Story

I've seen this story unfold countless times. If this is you, please share and let me know (private email or public comment).

I've also lived this story. When I was a kid, I had no clue WHY I did all the things I was supposed to do ... I just did them because I was supposed to. I went through many rudderless years in high school and college ... and I'm still working on it (although I'm much better now).

When I worked in radio broadcasting (1980-1994) I had one goal in mind each day - "to make net one person's day more enjoyable because of something I said or a song that I played."

More recently as a Wealth Coach, I still get up each day with a singular purpose - "to help at least one person enjoy a better quality of life." The tools I use today are different. I don't play songs or crack jokes. I help people make better choices with their money, time and energy through proprietary financial management tools, frameworks and exercises.

In the end, I want to help them take action on purpose and with meaning as often as possible.

It sure beats letting life hit you in the face.

John

Interested in a different approach to helping you with your personal finances?
Call me for more information on our Wealth Health Snap-Shot™ ($150 value - available for just $47) - a 30 minute review of your personal financial situation with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional.

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Feb 12 Personal Finance Truth #3

Written by John D. Buerger, CFP®.

This is the final post in our Three Truths of Personal Finance series. These are simple concepts. They are immutable and fundamental. Ignore them at your own risk because eventually they will prevail.

Remember the scene from “A Few Good Men” and how Colonel Jessup (Jack Nicholson) responded to Lt. Daniel Kathee (Tom Cruize) when Kathee demanded the truth? Colonel Jessup shouted, “You can’t handle the truth!”

… and Colonel Jessup was right.

TRUTH #3 - You Can't See the Truth

Nobody can handle the truth, nor can anybody completely see the truth of any situation for what it is. Of the Three Truths we've covered in this series, this is probably the toughest one for people to accept ...

"You can never see the world around you as it really is. You can only see it as it appears to you through your own emotions and previous experiences."

The reason for this is simple - everything going on around you is being filtered by your emotional brain. This Limbic System processes all the data from your senses (sight, sound, taste, etc.), seeks patterns in the data and compares them to past experiences. The data is then either discarded, filed away for future reference or sent off to the neocortex (the rational brain) for further processing.

Because most people operate their lives in auto-pilot, the rational brain for these folks only works with the data after it has been processed by the Limbic system. As such, the emotional brain becomes the primary filter - a lens - distorting everything you experience. This is especially true when it comes to your money. Your past experiences (good and bad) with money, your wants today and your wishes for the future are all laced with emotional baggage.

All too often, your financial choices are viewed, judged and made through this "Limbic Lens."

The "Limbic Lens" at Work

This “Limbic Lens” is why most investors buy high and sell low (the opposite of what you’re supposed to do). It also explains why we’re always buying shiny, cool stuff we don’t need in order for it to lose it’s luster, gather dust, take up space in the closet and eventually wind up in a garage sale or the trash heap.

The Truth? You can’t handle the truth! You can’t even SEE the truth when it’s slapping you in the face (which is usually what is happening to most people in personal finance). Then along come politicians and financial salespeople who use that lens against you to sell you stuff you don't need and can't afford.

Change Your Limbic Lens

There are ways to “regrind” the Limbic Lens.

I'll get into those fixes in a future blog. For now, understand that while you will never see the complete financial truth, you can help yourself to see each situation more clearly with less influence from past experiences and emotional hijacking.

In the end, it can be quite easy to make much better choices with your money.

You just need to know a few tricks.