Good morning, happy Monday & happy Valentine’s Day!
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always hopes, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
What an incredible list of the characteristics of love that the Apostle Paul gives us in the above passage.
Is love easy? I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who would answer that question with a “yes.”
Here’s the thing … the things most rewarding things in our life are rarely easy.
2 questions to ponder:
- Looking back over your life … what is the accomplishment you are most proud of in your life?
- Was that accomplishment easy?
My guess is that your greatest accomplishment is probably one of (if not the) most challenging thing in your life as well.
Funny how that works, huh? Oftentimes in life the hardest things are the most rewarding things.
My Tampa Bay Lightning have won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships 😊 … to raise the Stanley Cup is the greatest achievement available in hockey, and yet it would be ridiculously challenging as well. That’s what makes it such a huge accomplishment.
For Christmas my wife bought me a ping pong table (table tennis for those serious about the sport). If I play someone in ping pong who has never played before I will probably fairly easily win. I also would not consider that an accomplishment. Low challenges tend to not provide any meaningful level of accomplishment as well.
When my son David first beat me in a game of Connect 4 you would have thought he won the Stanley Cup 😊 He was so proud of himself … that was a significant accomplishment for him (I’m one of those dads who does not let my kids beat me … if you beat dad you won honestly). He beats me fairly routinely now (we usually have to do best out of 7 series) and it’s not such a big accomplishment for him to be victorious against me these days.
Beating a big challenge = big accomplishment. No challenge = no accomplishment.
Is investing easy? Is it easy to log in online to see your portfolio drop at times? Is it easy to see statements full of fluctuations and be completely unemotional about it? I think most of us would agree that it is not at all easy.
We can sit on the sidelines and never invest and risk our purchasing power slowly be eroded by inflation (see last week’s memo) or we can do the hard work of investing and not freaking out when things don’t go ideally. Investing is more challenging, but I would argue that it’s far more rewarding as well 😊
Please allow me a moment to give a shout out to my wife (I believe she reads these memos) on this Valentine’s Day. Rebecca, you are so amazing, and I can’t imagine what my life would look like without you. You complete me and I am so grateful for your patience, love, encouragement, listening ear, for challenging me when I’m out of line, your kindness, your calmness, and your faith. I love you with all of my heart!
I just reviewed the distribution list of this email and every single person who receives this email holds a special place in my heart. I love what I do for a living, and I love the clients I have the honor to serve. On this Valentine’s Day I want to say an extra special thank you to you for allowing me to be a part of your life … it truly is a tremendous honor.
Make it a great week ahead!