sometimes you have to push your limits | vol. 19
Vol. 19
Hey there,
Well this week I certainly pushed my limits.
Last year I was asked to speak at the Financial Planning Association of Orange County, initially about cryptoassets and then it was about advisor branding and marketing. As I began to get further into PRST and could see it was where I was going to be spending more of my time, I created a presentation for my professional peers that would encourage them to take their financial planing to the next level and incorporate a PRST-like approach to helping clients create lives they actually wanted to live and not just get through life. Thankfully, the FPA welcomed the topic and I was able to give a 50 minute talk to over 100 financial advisors.
When I accepted the speaking opportunity I forgot to put it on my calendar and didn't realize my opportunity to see Kendrick Lamar in person was the night before I was supposed to speak in The OC. And, it wasn't until last month that I realized this.
How was I going to be in Columbus, Ohio the evening of August 16th and then speaking in California the afternoon of August 17th? I'm not going to lie, I had a slight moment of panic and then I hit Southwest's website to see what the earliest and quickest flight to California was on the 17th...6:00 AM EST and landing at John Wayne Airport at 8:45 PST--The Universe had my back. Just to be safe, I asked to speak later in the day and they were kind enough to accommodate me with the after lunch spot. Most people don't want to speak right after lunch due to the post-meal lull but I was actually excited to keep the group engaged with my energy and passion for the talk--that spot was no problem.
I was going to be able to make both happen.
Pushing The Limits
My wife and I left our house Tuesday afternoon to get to Columbus early enough to have dinner and get to the concert for the opening acts---I didn't want to miss a single second of the concert.
To say the concert was amazing is an understatement. Yes, Kendrick is my favorite artist, he's close to dethroning Tupac as my all-time favorite, but the performance was so inspiring for me. I'm sure most just heard the music but I saw the art, the symbolism, and the creativity of the show. It truly was awe-inspiring.
I could spend the entire email on the concert but I won't.
After the concert we hopped back in the car to head back home and once again The Universe had my back because we were routed out of the parking lot on a path that had NO TRAFFIC. None. We got out of the parking lot without ever touching the break or sitting and we were back on the interstate heading home in a matter of minutes. The Universe conspires with you to bring you what you want...I wanted to see Kendrick Lamar and be in California the next day to give my talk.
Ok, let's make the rest of the story short...we got home at 1:30, I was back up at 3:30 to catch my flight. I landed in California around 8:30 PST and went straight to the conference. At 12:44 I started my presentation and I left the conference around 3:00 to check in my hotel, take a shower, and sneak in a 10 minute power nap. Around 4:00 I met up with one of my fellow AGC (the advisor community) members to catch up in person and then we met another member for a margarita. From there I met a good friend of mine for tacos and was back to the hotel around 9:30 PST. I was back up in the morning at 4:00 PST to say good morning to Leo and just decided to stay up to get to the airport early for my 6:45 PST flight. I finally got to my house around 5:45 EST Thursday evening.
I wouldn't recommend making a three day run like this a normal occurrence but every once and awhile, your Pursuit will require you to push your limits and the Universe will help you on your way. I had not a single hiccup during the three days...everything went perfectly as planned.
I've Been Playing With The PRST Acronym
I've been thinking about the PRST acronym and I think it is close to having a double meaning:
Purpose Reveals Self in Time (the new version) through our Passions Relationships S(till looking for this one) and Thoughts
I really like this evolution as it brings more clarity to the mission of PRST and solidifies he use of PRST. I think I'm going to look for a synonym for "creativity" for the 'S'.
I'm curious to know your thoughts....
Ok, let's get to The PRST...
passion. relationships. self. time.
Each week this section will consist of curated blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos, etc. that address Passion, Relationships, Self, and Time--the components of PRST.
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Beat The Market By Investing In Freedom – And Shunning Places Like Russia And China. This is an example of what can happen when you follow your passion. It's also an example of how your career can be the means to an end for your true passion. Perth Tolle has been the subject of a past episode of Monday Motivation on The Daily PRST and I'm fortunate enough to call her a friend. Perth's passion in life is not necessarily investing; her true passion is fighting evil, especially the mistreatment of the Chinese people. It just so happened that the best way for her to try and make an impact to improve the lives of her fellow countrymen and women was through her career in finance.
Long story short, Perth uncovered that emerging countries that provide the greatest freedoms to their citizens tend to have better performing markets and with this knowledge she created an index that ranked emerging markets based on the freedom provided to the people. The result was an emerging market index, which is just a basket of stocks, with no exposure to China, Russia, Iran, and other bad actors in the world. When you think about it, indirectly Perth's work could force countries to rethink the way they treat their people...if investment dollars continue to be directed to other countries, their economies could suffer, and in an effort to reclaim the lost investment dollars these countries could begin to provide greater freedom to their citizens.
“That policy changed the culture of my generation, and the effects of the demographic disaster in China are irreversible,” says Tolle, 42, who was born in Beijing but came to the U.S. at age 9. “I had this realization that freedom made a difference in my life and in the markets.”
- Perth Tolle
No doubt, it's a tall order. But it's possible and Perth's ETF, which I use with clients at RLS Wealth for full disclosure, is continuing to grow in the amount of assets it manages and with the recent actions of Russia and investors being more aware of where their investment dollars are flowing, I anticipate it will continue to grow.
Passion can quite literally change the world!
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Mark Suster: Understanding The Power Of Your Human Networks. This is something that should be taught to all students...probably starting in high school. The ability to create a network of people is an overlooked and rarely talked about characteristic. Like many things in life, the strongest network is built off of authentic and genuine connections. Reaching out to both like-minded and opposing-minded (not sure if that's a real term, lol) to connect, learn, and potentially form relationships can lead to opporutinites in the future that would never come your way without your network.
Building a strong network isn't just about career or personal advancement. It's also about building a support system--a group of individuals, or maybe just a few within your network, that you can lean on when you need advice, a kick in the ass, or just some help. It's important to realize your network is only as strong as the flow of support being provided, meaning you have to give as much as you receive, if not more (shoot for more).
"But here’s the thing … don’t be an over-asker. Treat your network well and it will be there for when you really need help, favors, advice and time."
-Mark Suster
In a world of no absolutes, there's no "right" way to build your network. However, my advice is to center your network on a foundation of genuine and authentic connections that originated with nothing more than the desire to meet someone new and interesting.
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Dr. Joy Lere: Imposters. Joy is my go-to when it comes to writing about the psychology of money, while Morgan Housel may have written the book The Psychology of Money, Dr. Lere is clinically trained in the psychology of money. Not only does Joy right about money, she covers all areas of our psyche.
We've discussed imposter syndrome in the past and it will continue to be a topic for discussion because it is one of the single most powerful hurdles for us to overcome, especially if we are attempting to go down a new path.
"At the core of imposter syndrome is the theme of "enough." They live in constant fear of what may happen if they don't do enough. They don't trust, on a foundational level, that who they really are is ultimately enough. It's hard to trust that anyone else will believe you meet the mark if you constantly think you're falling short."
-Dr. Joy Lere
I highly recommend subscribing to Dr. Lere's newsletter. As you continue to explore who you are and what you are after in your life, her writing may serve as a great resource to understanding yourself better.
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This Week's Top PRST
The most listened to episode this week was Friday's episode of the The PRST "The Impact Of Your Personal Brand".
Spotify
This Week Of PRST
The Daily PRST.
Monday: Supporting Our Children's Pursuit
Tuesday: Intro To Personal Branding
Wednesday: No Episode
Thursday: No Episode
Check out all of last week's episodes here.
The PRST. The Impact Of Your Personal Brand
PRST Shorts. Back to to work looking for the next person to highlight. You can check out all of the Shorts here.
The Blog. No new post this week.
On Our PRST. Some great interviews coming and I've been shooting my shot to get some exciting guests. Get caught up with past episode of On Our PRST here.
