We all have a different way of approaching a new year. Some make resolutions, some set goals, some do nothing at all. I think I’ve subscribed to each approach at some point throughout my adult life. Like many, my focus at the beginning of the year has often been on fitness.
For years I have considered myself a “fit” person. I played sports, ran, lifted weights occasionally and never had any reason to visit the doctor and therefore, never did. All in all, I was probably “ok”.
Well, that all changed the day I stepped into a CrossFit box (what we call the gym). If you ever need to be humbled, take your ego to the nearest box and try to complete a CrossFit workout “as prescribed”. It’s likely going to be the most difficult workout you’ve ever done. My idea of what it meant to be “fit”was destroyed on day 1.
So, this past year I set a number of goals as I typically do. I set business goals, personal goals, family goals and at the direction of my coach (which I’ll come back to) CrossFit goals. I had set CrossFit goals the year before but I didn’t quite understand whatit was all about, so the previous years’ goals were more like a set of glorified hopes. But this year I really thought about WHY I wanted to get better at CrossFit, WHAT skills I wanted to train to get better and the ACTIONS that would be required to be successful. Just by taking that step I was already ahead of years before, and rather than focus on the results, I focused on one primary goal which I knew could control: SHOW UP.
That’s it. Show up consistently, 3-4 days per week, work hard and good things will happen. Could I have been better? Of course. Could I have gotten even stronger, faster, leaner, more flexible? Without a doubt. But that’s not what’s its all about. I needed to build a habit so I focused on a simple, achievable goal that I could control, and I worked it. I then put my faith in my coach to program workouts that would position me to achieve my goals, and she did. Together, we accomplished all but one goal (it’s at the top of my list this year), and my overall health and quality of life is better than its been in years. I’m stronger, faster and more committed than I was at 18 years old. Committing to show up just one day at a time, over the course of a year, has changed my life.
So how does this relate to financial planning? In Every. Possible. Way.
When you have goals, ambitions, dreams… studies show that you are 80% more likely to achieve them when they are written down. Imagine how much that percentage would go up when you have a coach to help hold you accountable.
I did the heavy lifting (literally), but I believe that the real reason I achieved my goals was because I had a coach that cared, took the time to research and program great workouts, answer my stupid questions at 8pm about the correct way to do a kipping pull-up and tell me to get my lazy butt back to the gym when I’d miss a few days. Without her expertise, encouragement and planning, I likely wouldn’t have dared to set the goals I did, and almost certainly wouldn’t have achieved them.
My job as an advisor is to be a coach for my clients. I strive to help my clients think outside the box and set goals that allow them to live their best life. We work together to achieve those goals over time by showing up everyday and putting our trust in one another.
No matter your approach, a new year provides an opportunity to start fresh. If you’ve been in a rut, are looking to get organized or wanting to take your finances to the next level, let’s chat. I’ve never been one to think that there is only one way to be successful (at anything), but I can assure you that by simply putting pen to paper and working together, we will have an opportunity to achieve great things.
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