On Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, all eyes turned to Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, to see what Punxsutawney Phil had to say. He did not see his shadow, so we are in for an early spring and not six more weeks of winter. This quirky weather prediction ritual in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, captivates many, offering a lighthearted twist on seasonal forecasts. If only the talking heads of finance, economics, and politics were as reliable as Phil.
Groundhog’s Day reminds me of the classic Bill Murray movie, where his character is trapped in a time loop, experiencing the same thing over and over. It is a classic metaphor for many of our work lives. Getting stuck doing the same thing over and over, perhaps expecting a different outcome.
Albert Einstein is credited with saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Are you living your own version of Groundhog Day?
Most of my life has been shaped by a concept my father instilled in me early on about life and work. He told me to ask myself a question periodically. That question was, “Have you had five years of experience, or have you had the same experience for five years? Did you grow and learn something new this year?”
The more I pondered this, the more I was inspired to seek new information and overcome challenges to help me evolve. I was determined to make my experience account for something.
This belief structure was one of the forces that drove me to learn financial planning tools early on in my career. At that point in my career, most of my estate planning clients presented similar fact patterns: middle to upper-middle-class families with kids, not multi-millionaires.
Perhaps occasionally, the mythical millionaire next door would find his way into my office. In short, part of the business had become too routine; I felt the need to challenge myself to grow.
I found my home when I saw all there was to learn about insurance, investment, and tax planning for these clients. A place where change and challenges to solve problems gave me variety and growth. Yep, I am wired a bit differently than most.
As I look back over the past fifteen years of serving my clients as both an attorney and a financial advisor, I realize what a fun and successful journey it has been. But with WSN, things are just getting started.
In 2024, great things are on the horizon, as reflected by the many changes you may notice. With our growth, we have had the resources to pursue our mission of community education, and we have many initiatives that I’m ecstatic to share with you.
First, we are recruiting our next class of Skillset, Toolset, and Leadership level members. If you are wondering if the time is right to up your game, go to www.JoinWSN.com and schedule a discovery call.
Second, as we enter this new growth phase, we will be expanding our consumer education. We have relaunched our consumer-themed podcast “Your Financial Advocate” in addition to our “March to a Million” podcast, which is oriented toward providing you with valuable information to share with your clients. Both are available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Soundcloud.
Third, we are launching regular consumer-oriented webinars designed to educate the consumer on many of the issues that are currently causing them concern. As importantly, it often brings to their attention things that should be causing them concern, but they have not been made aware.
In short, 2024 will be like no other year I have experienced. I would not have it any other way. How about you? How are you going to change things up?
Happy Groundhog Day!
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