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July 31, 2008 at 08:00 PM
Many financial advisors tell me that they suffer from sleep disorders. I too have experienced disruptive sleep patterns since my childhood. Often, I will wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. and have difficulty getting back to sleep. My mind just will not rest as I think about my business and the challenges we face.
Like many high achievers, I am driven to achieve business goals and my focus is on what we need to do to accomplish our objectives. At times, my desire to achieve those goals gets in the way of my performance.
My wife Wendy is a marital and sex therapist. One of the things she has taught me is that anxiety is blocked excitement. Whenever we experience anxiety, it is a result of losing touch with our excitement. Many successful financial advisors have difficulty in differentiating between goals and working to the best of their abilities. They don’t wake up in the morning and say, “I’m going to work to the highest level of my capability today.” They start out with a goal. It is the goal that motivates them.
The profound point of difference is in the pursuit of doing your best versus needing to achieve an outcome. You learn to give up your attachments to results. If you are true to your purpose, what will happen is meant to be. If you do your best and do not achieve your goal, it is the right outcome. This is a powerful insight and yet we are often left with the question, “What do we do about it?”
