Good morning & happy Monday!
“We can do only what we think we can do. We can be only what we think we can be. We can have only what we think we can have. What we do, what we are, what we have, all depend upon what we think.”
– Robert Collier, author (1885-1950)
“Your perspective will either become your prison or your passport.”
– Steven Furtick, pastor
I know I’m getting carried away with 2 quotes this morning 😉.
Last week I concluded my weekly email with a few comments on perspective. If you will indulge me, I wish to expand upon those thoughts for a few more minutes this morning.
As you know, I wear glasses. Without my glasses I can see shapes and main objects, but absolutely no detail. As an example, without my glasses I could see a red octagon and know that it is a stop sign, but I would have to be fairly close to see the word “STOP” printed on the sign. (Scary, I know!)
My glasses change my perspective and that changes everything. Without my glasses my world would look dramatically different (for the worse!).
What is our perspective in life?
I greatly enjoy sports, particularly football and hockey. When I play a game on my iPad (which is fairly rare) I like timed, speed games.
My wife on the other hand would way rather watch a Hallmark movie and play a game where she can take her time with a methodical strategy.
When I am watching football or hockey and yelling around the house my wife says that is way too stressful and leaves the room. Alternatively, when she turns on a Hallmark movie, I have a hard time staying awake for more than 10 minutes.
The same activity has completely polar opposite reactions for each of us because of our perspective.
When it comes to money and investments, what is our perspective?
Do I see money as a tool to accomplish meaningful life goals? Is money a measurement of success in life … if I have it I’m successful, if I don’t I’m not? Is money a god that I worship? Is money a necessary evil that is required to survive in our culture?
What about when the market is fluctuating?
One perspective: Of course, the value of businesses change as changes occur in the economy. Over time history has given me no choice but to believe that this diversified portfolio will perform well and give me the best chance possible of achieving my financial goals. So, no matter what happens in the short-run I will stay focused on my goals. No stress here.
Alternative perspective: Oh my gosh! A bank just failed, inflation is out of control, the national debt is unmanageable, our country is in a dramatic state of decline, the world is in a total and complete state of disaster. The stock market is going to crash and I’m going to lose all of my money. I’m completely panicking here!
In many conversations over these last challenging 15 months, I understand most of us are somewhere between these 2 perspectives. Often times our heads are in that first perspective, but our hearts are in the later one.
That first perspective is far superior to the later perspective. Not only is the first perspective more accurate, but it’s also far less stressful 😊 However, I fully understand how hard it can be to maintain perspective, it’s a constant battle (especially if you binge watch news, which I would highly discourage).
One of my primary objectives as your financial planner is to provide perspective. Perspective is harder to achieve as stress levels increase … the higher the stress level the harder it is to gain proper perspective (this is also true in non-financial matters).
My friends, I would encourage you with all that I have to maintain a healthy, accurate perspective. There are most certainly challenges we are facing, but we live at the absolute pinnacle of human existence with an exceptionally bright future … a future that will result in lots of business profitability … businesses that we have an opportunity to own through stock ownership. Please do not make the critical mistake of letting short-term headlines distract you from such incredible opportunities.
We are always here to support you and provide perspective, so please never hesitate to call if a little perspective can provide some much-needed peace of mind.
It is an incredible honor and privilege to serve you.
Make it a great week ahead!