National 401(k) Day – What To Do With Yours?

Dear Jack,

I just – and I mean as in the past 30 minutes – found out that there exists a National 401(k) day, and it is, in fact, being celebrated today.  According to http://www.401kday.org/, the official National 401k Day Website, the day exists to raise awareness of employer sponsored retirement accounts.  Just as retirement takes place after the working years, the day is celebrated just after Labor Day.

I think this is great – and brings me to think about my advice I give when telling people what to do with their own retirement savings, especially those who are younger in life.  Typical disclaimer: personal advice varies as everyone’s unique situations varies.  So take this for what it is: generic financial advice.

So, let’s create a hypothetical situation, for you.  Say you’re 27 years old, earning a decent salary, have a job that offers you a 3% dollar for dollar 401(k) match, and you have $10,000 in student loans.  You also have a mortgage, but no other consumer debt (auto or credit card).  My advice to you is to take advantage of your 3% dollar for dollar match, as you’re getting an instant 100% rate of return on your money, and aggressively pay down debt with any extra cash you have each month.

Even if you could afford to put 6%, or 10% into your 401k if you pay your minimum debt payments and other living expenses, I recommend just doing the match for now.  Some people may argue that the lifetime rate of return is greater if you invest your money (at say, hypothetically, 10%) than if you pay off your debt (again, hypothetically, at 5%) … but I’m going to say ignore that.  Why?

• Because I’m more interested in pursing Financial Freedom – and you’re going to find more freedom in being out of debt than you will with a bigger 401(k) account.  The example I use regularly is say you have a $200/month student loan.  You then come across someone in your church or neighborhood who could really use a $200 anonymous gift.  But you can’t give that $200 very easily, because you have to pay that monthly student loan bill.  You’re enslaved to that lender (Prov 22.7), and you have to make that payment.  Compare this to making a $200 contribution to your 401(k) or Roth IRA – you can unplug that, even if only for a month, and make that anonymous gift and feel great about it.  You have the freedom to do so.
• Additionally, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get that said 10% return (and run, don’t walk, away from anyone who says they can guarantee a 10% return).  There’s a 100% guarantee, barring bankruptcy, that the lender will get their  5% return, compliments of you.  By paying off that loan, you essentially make an investment with a guaranteed 5% rate of return.

But once you do have your consumer debts paid off, I’m all for maxing out your 401(k).  Well, maybe maxing out a Roth IRA, and your spouse’s, and then with your excess cash flow going back to the 401(k) – but regardless, investing in some sort of retirement account.  I’m not really as worried about eliminating the mortgage before maxing out retirement savings – but do recommend paying extra on it as you can.

Happy 401(k) day, Jack.  Till next time.

Sincerely,
J.

7 Thoughts on How to Talk to Anybody (and Everybody)

Dear Jack-

One thing I’ve found out in life is that there are some people who are natural conversationalists, and there are those who aren’t.  There are some people who can walk into a room and talk with anyone there, and there are others who won’t.  Realizing there are a whole lot of other sub-categories, I’ll leave them for another time.  I’ve, personally, found myself somewhat naturally being able to strike up and hold conversations with most people, and it was something I took as granted until recently.

These thoughts starting processing when doing some reading about my financial planning industry, and reading that the ability to listen and ask good questions is just as, if not more, important than actual expertise in products, strategies, and investments.  The listening/questions skill is infinitely harder to develop than the increase of knowledge.  This makes sense, and was one of those common truths that I probably always knew, but never realized.  But I took great courage from this, because I can always, and will, continually learn more about products, strategies, and investments – and can always find out the answer in a short amount of time if I need knowledge right then – but I can’t always, or as easily, develop the listening and questions skills.  They can certainly be learned and improved, but not at the rate of the products, strategies, and investments.

I say all of this because, depending on what job you may have or be pursuing, conversation skills are most likely going to be required of you.  You’ll always be able to increase your knowledge of your industry and services/products.  What I want to do is give you some basic advice on how to talk and listen to people, so as to prepare you for any job you may encounter or pursue.  And so I did some thinking of guidelines that I have, sometimes subconsciously, used to talk to both people I’ve met for the first time, and people I’ve known a long time.  They are:

1. Listen more than you speak. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.  No one likes to be around the person who talks 10x as much as everyone else.  You don’t need to count words, but just keep an idea of how much you’re talking.
2. Ask good questions.  Before some networking events, and definitely before client/prospective meetings, I prepare a list of questions that I want to ask, and have ready to ask.  People always will want to talk about themselves and their passions.  When meeting someone for the first time, they’ll mostly default to talking about their job.  Try to dig deeper – ask what they do for fun, what books they read, and what their plans are for the weekend.  Avoid religion and politics at those first conversations as much as possible.  Ask follow up questions- my favorite is “Why?”
3. Find common ground.  After asking some good questions and follow up questions, usually you find something, or someone, that you both know or enjoy.  Expound on that.
4. Share what your passions are.  And have these thought out as well.  It’s pretty lame when someone asks what’s been exciting in your life and you have nothing to share.  Think of what’s been going on lately in your own life lately, and have these stories ready to share.
5. Ask how you can help them.  This is fantastic, and usually catches people by surprise in first conversations.  After they’ve described what’s important to them, or what their job is, or an issue they have in life, ask how you can help.  You’ll be surprised at their answers, and then most of the time they’ll turn the question on you (and you should have an answer to this ready as well).
6. Realize that they may be feeling as awkward or intimated as you.  This is especially powerful for me, as I talk with some of the big wigs in Lancaster county.  I’ll never forget severals years ago, sitting at lunch with a CEO of a company with a few hundred employees, hearing how even as charismatic and outgoing as leaders seem, they still fight anxiety and fear in meeting new people.  This blew my mind, and immediately put me at ease.
7. Remember what people say, and their name.  I have, admittedly, a terrible memory, so this is tough for me.  If I really want to remember something someone said to me in a conversation, I’ll write it down.  A fantastic professional (or friend) is someone who asks if your kid’s feeling any better since last time they saw you 5 weeks ago.

My idea of a good conversationalist is someone who puts others at ease by avoiding awkwardness, is encouraging, listens intently, and can guide the conversation from beginning to end.  These 7 steps should help you become someone like that.  No matter what your job, I hope these will become beneficial, Jack.  Till next time.

Sincerely,
J.

Making Financial Decisions

Dear Jack-

Part of what I do on a daily basis, not just as my job, but as the leader of our home, is figure out how to spend our money – however meager or massive the amount.  And this is often a complex issue, because even if there are only five uses of money (giving, taxes, living expenses, debt, and savings), there is an almost infinite amount of sub-categories, and that’s where we often get lost.

Some examples

• Should we complete the back yard project, or increase our cash reserve?
• Should we put the work bonus in savings, or pay down debt?
• Should we pay our kids on commission, or give them a fixed allowance?
• Should we save for a bigger house to do more ministry in, or stay in our current residence?

Ron Blue wisely states that we can’t arrive at the correct answer if we’re not asking the correct question.  As stewards, rather than ask “What should we spend this money on?” I believe a better question is “What would God have me do?”  It seems trivial, maybe – but I have found it forces us to pray and read scripture more than if we leave God out of the question.

The second follow up question is then “What is the best use of this money?”  It is most certainly not “Can we afford it?”  Just because you have enough money in the bank is not reason enough to make a purchase or other financial decision … it may be a start, but it’s by no means the end of the discussion.

These questions seem awkward, I’ll admit, and they may not be answered quickly, which brings me to another point: create time to answer them.  I find that for me, the best time to be still and be quiet and just listen comes in the morning, but that may not be for you.  Maybe it’s on your commute to work, or it’s laying in bed at night, or it’s taking a walk in the mid-afternoon.  Whatever time it is, just be sure that you are intentional in creating it.  I’ve found that God speaks most surely when we’re intentionally listening for him.

This isn’t to say that God’s going to speak audibly on guidance for every $5 you spend, nor should you fast before deciding to fill up on gas, but I do believe he wants us to seek him and listen.  Sometimes he’ll just use our wisdom and our hearts to answer, and other times it seems like a still small voice.  Regardless, we’re to seek him intently.

So remember Jack – don’t just ask “Can I afford this?” or “What should we spend this money on?”  Dig a little deeper and ask “What would God have me do?” and “What is the best use of this money?”  Clarifying the question I believe helps clarify the answer.  Till next time, Jack.

Sincerely,
J.

Courage and the Voice of Truth

Dear Jack,

Lately it seems I’ve been really wrestling with my ability to completely trust in, and find courage in, God – manifested mostly in small ways.  The most notable example is a lack of courage in doing some needed prospecting calls for work.  I’ve seemed to lose some previously claimed territory in this ongoing battle, and it was shocking to me because I didn’t even realize the territory was being attacked.  I was doing some studying in Psalm 24 this morning, which is about the Lord being the King of Glory, and is quite a title when you take several minutes to contemplate those two words together.

Later this morning a familiar song came on the radio, one I’ve heard countless times, but really found meaningful this time around.  It’s Casting Crowns’ “Voice of Truth.”  Rather than paraphrase, I’ll just include the whole song here.

Oh, what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he’s holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
“Boy, you’ll never win,
You you’ll never win

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”
and the Voice of truth says “this is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
“Boy you’ll never win,
you’ll never win.”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”
and the Voice of truth says “this is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don’t seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”
And the Voice of truth says “this is for my glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe
‘Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are the Voice of truth

The bottom line is this: we have countless reasons everyday not to do things things that we should.  Our own mind, our peers, and this world will provide any excuse we need not to do certain tasks.  For me in life, right now, these include making my prospecting calls.  I believe strongly in the value of what we do as a financial planning firm, the value we can provide to clients, the training in stewardship from a holistic perspective … and yet I get discouraged when bringing this message to prospective clients.  The more I wrestle with it, the more I believe the discouragement comes from the world, for God never wants us to make decisions based on fear or anxiety.  It shows a lack of faith in Him.  It shows that we don’t truly believe he is the King of Glory.

This letter, perhaps more than others, is a self pep-talk to myself, but I hope you find value in it whatever task or job you need encouragement to do this day, Jack.  Till next time.

Sincerely,
J.

Choosing Greatness

Dear Jack,

A good friend of mine, Jim Sponaugle, sends out daily quotes through email.  And on Fridays, sends out a PDF of an extended quote.  I love these, and they’re the first emails I open or check on my phone each morning.  The one yesterday specifically resonated with me, and it included the age old quote from Shakespeare, “To be or not to be…” and brought a whole new level of understanding to those words.  Rather than do injustice by attempting to summarize the quote, by Jim Rohn, I’ll just copy the whole piece below (any added emphasis is my doing):

“What will be your choice?”

By Jim Rohn

Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.

And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice.

To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.

Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?

Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings.

Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of who and what they have become.

This whole idea is about stewardship – as I believe stewardship to be not just about the financial blessings we have, called treasures, but also with our time and talents.  I believe we’ll be held responsible for all three of these things, and if we fail to live a life worthy of our talents, if we fail to make the intentional best use of our time, if we fail to allocate our treasures in ways we feel led, I think we’ll be held accountable for those failures.

So, Jack, it’s your choice: to be, or not to be.  To succeed, or to choose not to.  To be a good stewards, or to waste the time, talent, and treasure given to you.  Till next time, Jack.

Sincerely,

J.

The Way I Work

Dear Jack,

Of the few magazine subscriptions I still read, Inc. remains one of my favorites, and it’s rare if I don’t read the entire magazine cover to cover.  I enjoy hearing the stories of how others are doing it, being motivated by reading different ideas, and educating myself on what’s going out outside my world of Lancaster county.

My favorite section of Inc., however, is “The Way I Work.”  This regular column highlights an entrepreneur, and is often written in first person.  It details their daily life.  And I find it extremely addicting to read.  I glean a fair amount of my daily habits by examples I’ve read about.  I’m not quite accomplished yet in life to be featured in Inc., (although it is a career goal), but it’s with this idea that I write this letter to you, titled The Way I Work.  It’s my hope that possibly you’ll learn some habits and apply them to your own life.

I usually wake up between 5 and 6 am.  Ideally, I want to be out running through Lancaster city for 30-40 minutes, as I feel best the rest of the day when I’m able to.  But to be honest, I’m often not disciplined enough, especially if our 15 month daughter didn’t sleep particularly well.  This is something I wish to get better at.

So, if I’m not up at the earlier side of the 5am – 6am schedule, I’ll opt out of running.  Spending time in the Bible and prayer and visualization is more important to me than the physical exercise.  I’ll quietly sneak downstairs, make some coffee, and hop in the shower.  I have a laminated sheet of my 2010 Goals/Resolutions (a distinct difference between the two) in the shower, and I review these and take a mental inventory of where I’m at with each one.

After getting my coffee fixed up, I sit down at our kitchen table, with only the overhead fan light on downstairs.  I try to make the house as quiet as possible with the rest of the family still asleep.  I then spend 45 minutes to an hour reading the Bible, journaling my thoughts and prayers, and visualizing my long term goals, both career and personal.  I keep my phone next to me to check the time, but I’m careful not to check any email.

Around 7am, I throw on my work clothes, head out to the car, and listen to NPR for my 30ish minute drive to work.  I start checking my work email at that point (only at red lights, of course).  Once I get into the office, I dig out my Weekly Planner, completed at the beginning of each week, and see what needs to be done that day – calls, tasks, follow ups – and who I need to accomplish them with.  I try to get all of my meeting preparation work done on Mondays, so I can be more free for meetings, calls, networking events, and other face to face opportunities during the week.  Once I’m at my desk, I ensure that I update LinkedIn, do some more visualization that’s more career specific, write two personal notes to colleagues or clients or prospects, check my RSS feeds, and select a new investment product to study.

My day at that point differs on any given day.  Client review meetings, new prospective client meetings, sales calls, article composing – there’s not a whole lot of overlap between the middle of my days.  Each day’s different, and I enjoy that.  One thing I don’t do is check my email instantly.  I have a note at the bottom of my email signature that I check it in the mornings, during lunch, and at the end of the day.  If something is urgent, I ask people to call me.  In the past, a lot of my energy and time was zapped by constantly checking and responding to email.  I’ve come to understand that email is like calling someone and hoping for a voicemail- it’s not urgent, but should be addressed at some point promptly.

Each week I try to meet with at least one of my “Proverbs 15.22 Crew” – which are essentially varying levels of personal mentors.  On Level 1, I have a professional mentor, a spiritual/personal mentor, and a hybrid mentor who knows just about everything in life.  On Level 2, I meet with a Mastermind group monthly, which is composed of five local professionals.  And Level 3 are local entrepreneurs or leaders who I highly respect, but may not know well, and I offer to take them out to lunch in exchange for picking their brain on what makes them tick.

Each day I try to review or learn something new from Kingdom Advisors training – whether it’s reviewing my previous notes, watching a new training video, or participating in a nation wide conference call.

At the end of each week I have a Weekly Wrap-up sheet, in which I essentially grade my week.  I’ve identified eight traits and habits I need to form to continue my success in this, and any, career – increasing knowledge, demonstrating courage, expressing enthusiasm, embracing humility, taking initiative, portraying confidence, proving integrity, and utilizing prioritization.  I answer a simple Yes or No if I’ve done each of these, and provide an example.  I then list my top 10 positive achievements for that week, as well as 2 processes/behaviors I need to modify, and end by journaling in a quarter page section any general thoughts.  This Wrap-up is incredibly valuable, as when I’m having a down week at work, I can look back and review all of the good things that has happened in other weeks (because we’re naturally inclined to forget them).

I know a lot of people talk about not worrying about work-home balance – but I do.  If I work 70+ hour weeks to provide extra income to help pay for my family’s goals, but do so at the expense of investing time and love into them – I’ve done them a disservice.  I monitor my hours closely, and if I have evening appointments during the week, I ensure that I take off early at some other point during the week so I can be home and with my family.  A lot of people disagree with me on this – but it’s one of the foundations of how I work.

I use the Strategic Coach’s Entrepreneurial Time System, which divides my days into Buffer, Focus, and Free days.  I won’t get into the specifics of these, but my Free days are Free from any work related activity, including checking my email, and even reading my Inc. magazine or other business related books.

That’s about it, Jack.  I actually get asked somewhat regularly what I do during the day as a financial planner, and now I have something written to refer people to.  I hope you’re able to glean some ideas that help you achieve your own goals.  Till next time, Jack.

Sincerely,
J.

Think and Grow Rich Book Review

Dear Jack,

I’ve been reading more and more self-development books, and one of the classics in that field is one which was originally published in 1937 by Napoleon Hill.  It’s titled Think and Grow Rich and is the work of 20+ years of research that was commissioned to Hill by Andrew Carnegie.  It’s a great book, with a not so great title.  I was originally put off by the “grow rich” part, because of my tendency to raise eyebrows at any easy money-making scheme.

However, I’m glad I got past that part, because the book is full of great insight.  Hill and I disagree, sometimes quite strongly, on certain elements and philosophies, but the overall premise of the book is excellent.  The version depicted is one in which was revised and updated for the 21st century.  It adds to the original text some more modern day examples.

I think to begin my review, I want to revisit the “grow rich” aspect.  Throughout the pages, Hill seems to proclaim the necessity to have materialism and greed – constantly dwelling upon the mass collection of wealth.  Indeed, he calls this the first step to riches.  This encroaches upon my understanding of 1 Timothy 6.1-10, in which Paul commands Timothy to find contentment regardless of net worth, and also that the specific love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

And so, my understanding of riches – material or not – comes from Hill’s own words, in the Chapter of the Six Ghosts of Fear (Pg 264 of the pictured edition).  “The word ‘riches’ is here used in its broadest sense, meaning financial, spiritual, mental, and material estates.” This is how I understand Hill when I read the words “grow rich,” and it is with this large assumption that I find a lot of value can be taken from the book.

Hill states that there are 13 steps to riches.  Each one builds upon the previous step, and so the order is of utmost importance.

1. Desire – to have a burning intent to achieve whatever your “richness” may be
2. Faith - to have unresolved faith that you will achieve this richness
3. Auto suggestion – the method(s) or regularly reminding yourself of what this richness is
4. Specialized knowledge – becoming exceedingly good at one specific service/product
5. Imagination - having the ability to adapt and find creative ways to resolve problems
6. Organized plan – to have a written out, comprehensive, specific plan on how you will achieve your riches
7. Decision - the resolution to achieve anti-procrastination and determine to move forward with your plan
8. Persistence - to not give up when trials and unforeseen obstacles arrive
9. Masterminds - a group of like-minded individuals who will help you achieve your riches
10. Sex transmutation – (definitely a strange chapter) the redirecting of our sex drive to our riches drive
11. Subconscious - utilizing the power of “un-thought” thought
12. Brain - fully using the capacities of your brain and its connectivity to the world around us
13. 6th Sense – using all of the previous steps together to tap into the 6th sense (those “haunches” you get occasionally)

The book is strange.  I’ll openly admit that – but I really did enjoy reading it.  The basic framework is that riches will develop through steps that originate with thought.  In essence, what we think is what we become.  Hill uses some strange examples of universal ether, which I know very little of, but the principles that can be enacted are very powerful, and useful.

My walkaway from the book is that I already have many of those steps in place.  Where I am lacking is my daily visualization of where I want to be, and who I would like to be.  I’ve written down specific descriptions of how I’d like to be able to describe myself as husband and father, and specific metrics to measure my success as a financial planner.  I dwell on these in the mornings, attaching emotions to the thoughts (as these will cling tighter to the subconscious, according to Hill).

There is a secret throughout the book that Hill says to look for, which is never directly identified as “The Secret.  It’s not hidden – it’s right in the title.  We become what we think – and the key to achieving riches is to think about them.  (Remember my previously defined understanding of riches).

I’d encourage you to read the book, Jack.  I believe it will be one of those books I look back on years from now and can identify as a contributor to my success as a professional and family man.  Till next time, Jack.

Sincerely,
J.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 1

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Dear Jack,

One of the best books, and most impacting books, I have ever read is Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  I loved this book.  I read it this past January, and even as much as I loved it, find myself forgetting a lot of what is included.  It’s with this in mind that I wish to spend the next seven or so letters hashing out these habits and how I’m applying them to my life, with the hope that you’ll too be able to apply them to your life as well.

Basic Overview

The seven habits are as follows:

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win/Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw

The sub-title of Habit 1 is “Principles of Personal Vision.”  It relies on the strictly human endowment of self-awareness, our ability to think about ourselves, to have an imagination, a conscience, and an independent will.  Animals don’t have any of these.  And because we have them, we’re able to essentially “write our own programs,” or craft our own plan for life.  With this in mind, being proactive simply means taking initiative.  It means taking responsibility for our own lives, and realizing that our behavior is a function of our decisions, and not our conditions.

Covey points out that the word “responsibility” is really the combination of two words: response and ability.  The ability to choose our response.  My friend Phil Lapp coined a great phrase, something along the lines of “Become a producer of your own environment, and not a product of your environment.”  I’m thinking he read this chapter in Covey’s book.

We can learn a lot about our current psyche of being proactive vs reactive by examining the use of our own language.  A reactive person may say “There’s nothing I can do,” while a proactive person may say “Let’s look at our alternatives.”  Reactive: “He makes me so mad!”  Proactive: “I can control my own feelings.”  “I can’t” vs “I choose.”  “I must” vs “I prefer.”  “There’s no jobs out there” vs “I’ll find a job.”  Covey says that the language comes from a basic paradigm of determinism and responsibility.

The image I included with this letter is a circle of concern (problems at work, national debt, nuclear war, the economy) outside a circle of influence (our behavior, friends, activities) – and these two circles represent things we have control over and others that we really can’t do anything about.  The proactive person spend his time in the circle of influence, and expanding that circle of influence increasingly outward.  Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their efforts in the circle of concern, and because their focus is always in that circle of concern, their circle of influence actually decreases.  The essential lesson of the diagram is simply to work on the things that you have control over.

So – what does this have to do with me?  I applied this directly to my work life.  There are a number of issues flying around that circle of concern that I have no control over.  A chaotic stock market, an uncertain economy, an overall distrust of financial professionals, my young age in a preferably “mature” industry, etc.  These are, obviously, things I have no control over.  And for a part of my career, I focused only on these things, and I was draining myself.  Instead, I focus on my circle of influence.  These things include my behavior at work (work hard, pursue education, get to know everybody), my perspective on the stock market and economy (ebb and flow), and the fact that I embrace my age (fresh ideas, extra level of concern, and access to newer technology).  Complete paradigm shift, Jack.

We can choose to act or to be acted upon.  Covey argues that it’s our nature to act – but I actually disagree.  I think it’s our nature to be acted upon, and we need to fight the urge to be passive.  Take charge of your family, your career, your goals – because if you don’t, someone else will.  Embrace proactivity, and expect good things.  Till next time, Jack,

Sincerely,
J.

Stop Playing the Safe Life

Dear Jack,

Pretty intense story with a pretty awesome message.

Think of the implications that this mentality has in your life.  For me, it means living more boldly in our city neighborhood, specifically loving on the neighbors who may not be exactly like us (or do the things we want them to do).  It also means being more bold in my career in prospecting.

My favorite part of the video is the idea of a judge scoring an Olympian who just hugged a balance beam because they “don’t want to fall.”  My words are only going to take away from what this video can speak into your life, so I’m going to cut this letter short.  Powerful stuff.  Till next time, Jack.

Sincerely,
J.

7 Biblical Principles to Contement in Life

Dear Jack,

Continuing on with relaying some of what I’m learning from Ron Blue in Kingdom Advisors, I want to share with you some thoughts on creating contentment in your life.  A lot of this stems from the fact that contentment, according to Paul in Phil 4.11, can be learned.  In addition to being learned, it also is not determined by our income.  If we waited for contentment to come from a certain income level, we’d be akin to a dog forever chasing his tail.  And thirdly, the Bible, while providing some parameters, does not clearly define what amount is enough for a Christian lifestyle, and so there is no need to measure or quantify what others think is right for your unique situation.  That said, here are seven principles to help in pursuing contentment.

1. Prayerfully seek God’s direction regarding your lifestyle.  (Prov 3.5-6)
2. Learn to be content.  (Phil 4.11)
3. Learn to avoid coveting (Exodus 20.17)
4. Do not determine your lifestyle by comparing it to others (1 John 2.15-17)
5. Freely enjoy whatever you spend in the spirit (1 Tim 4.4)
6. Make an effort to live more simple (1 Thess 4.11)
7. Do not be conformed to this world (Rom 12.2)

I think what a lot of Christians fail to grasp is number 5.  Some people have this dichotomy of thought that Christians are to be miserably poor or blissfully wealthy, when in fact I think God is infinitely more concerned about our hearts regardless of our net worth.  Additionally, I believe that some Christians think it is bad to enjoy what we do spend.  This mentality ignores what Paul commands Timothy to do in 1 Tim chapters 5 and 6.  The money we are entrusted with is to be used to provide (5.8) and enjoy (6.7), both of which are to be done within contentment (6.6-8).

The whole paradigm of contentment in life is framed by the fact that it can be learned, and can be learned independently of our wealth or lack thereof.  Pursue contentment, because from contentment flows generosity, peace, increased giving, and joy.  Till next time, Jack.

Sincerely,
J.