A Call to Courage

Answering the Call to Courage: Financial PlanningMy daughter is amazing and this Thanksgiving introduced my wife and I to the very interesting speaker and author Dr. Brené Brown. In her Netflix special “Call to Courage”, Brené talks about the importance of being vulnerable as the only path to courage. She says, “Courage is contagious. Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver.”Brené credits Teddy Roosevelt as the inspiration for her book Daring Greatly. She spoke about his famous  “Man in the Arena” speech - that all the credit goes to the man (person) actually striving to make progress not the critic who merely talks about their shortcomings. This really hit home to me as I’ve always received inspiration from Roosevelt’s quote on being courageous in the Arena. The “vulnerability” idea was new to me and I reflected on what my clients might experience as they engage with my team for financial planning.To me, being vulnerable means putting yourself in unknown situations, taking risks, “putting yourself out there”, and experiencing discomfort with uncertainty. This can be in relationships with your spouse or other loved ones, business/career situations and yes, personal finances. Our processes take into consideration that people feel vulnerable as they consider financial planning and then courageously enter into that process and stick with it over time. It was satisfying to learn about vulnerability, and realize our processes are already attuned to it!There are three ways that one can feel vulnerable as they enter into a financial planning process: 1) Allowing a third party to examine you financially - your perceived financial and personal shortcomings, 2) The initial results - your initial planning may reveal a larger gap than expected and 3) Taking a chance on hiring an expert to help and the quality of their advice and kindness during this vulnerable time.So how do we show our compassion while asking you to be courageous in coming to us to start financial planning? 

• We ask you to bring your financial docs to the meeting but not every possible document as that can be an excuse to not meet. We help you arrive to the Arena.
• When we get to the point in our meeting of looking at your docs - we only do that if you feel comfortable at that time. We ask for permission again.
• We reduce the stress of the decision to meet by declaring we are not predestined to form a relationship. Both parties must agree there is a fit. 
• The initial meeting yields valuable pre-planning information which you keep regardless of our joint decision to work together. It’s time well spent regardless if we go forward. Everything to gain, nothing to lose.
• We are not judgmental. No one has a perfect track record of personal financial decisions. Forget the past, move forward positively.
• We are encouragers. Get solid expert advice and gradually implement that advice one step at a time - at a pace that works for you. String together many steps! Once in awhile celebrate your great work.

For inspiration, I leave you with Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena”, a portion of his Citizen in a Republic speech delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

I invite you to join me in the Arena - answer the call for your sake and to courageously lead your family.