Reflections in Strategy

Recently, I had the privilege of tuning into Kelly Olczak’s webinar titled “Reflect, Realign, and Restart,” where she discussed:

• The Power of a Financial Review
• The Evolution of Your Financial Plan
• Simplified Tax Planning Strategies
• Leveraging the SECURE 2.0 Act

It was all great information. I believe everyone in attendance was blessed by her webinar, and those who watch the recording will benefit as well.

I have no interest in offering retirement information, nor is there any financial incentive for me to plug her work. I will share the distilled knowledge I began to write down while tuning in. As this knowledge relates to much more than financial independence.

Regardless of the individual, we all want freedom, financially and in many other ways. Liberty. Opportunity. Health. Purpose. To prime yourself, allow me to ask you:

• What gets you out of bed in the morning?
• Why do you do whatever it is you do?
• How do you make sure you get where you want to go?

I can’t answer for you, only you can. But I will speak for myself. I have come to know my own ambitions and aspirations, and they are not yet within reach. The desires of this world will never truly satisfy. As C.S. Lewis said, I must conclude that some of us are not made for this world. Can you relate? If so, let us sip some more wine from Kelly’s knowledge that inspired me.

When planning, we ought to carefully outline:

• Our Goals
• Our Time Horizons

And reconcile and review them often.

Kelly also briefly mentioned “buckets” as part of some framework to the services she offers, which I assume are excellent. But I digress. This concept of buckets really hit home. I’m someone who finds compartmentalization to be quite natural.

So, here is my takeaway from her brief introduction to buckets:

• Each of us must identify what is important.
• Prepare for the unexpected!
• Have unpolluted pools kept separate by “buckets” for the various areas we need “water.”

My handwritten notes said, “areas we need capital,” not water. As the adage goes, it takes money to make money. Just as all life requires water to survive and grow, water seemed more suitable in my analogy. In my earlier writings on water, I describe it as an expression of human experiences. It is always flowing down the river of centuries. Something that needs to be directed and retained if we are to make proper use of it. In this sense, this is a very high form of capital indeed. As I ponder these things, I recognize or even remember the importance of compartmentalization. Is it not crucial? And not just in our finances but in most aspects of life. Anyone else, a workaholic? The truth is that work-life balance does not exist, at least for the ambitious. We often have a laser focus when we have a target to aim at. We become the archer free from distraction. Turning it off is the trick, one still being learned. This passage has helped me, and I hope it helps you:

from: The Scroll Marked IV

“…and I will think naught of my profession when I am in my home for this will dampen my love.

There is no room in the market place for my family, nor is there room in my home for the market.

Each I will divorce from the other and thus will I remain wedded to both. Separate must they remain or my career will die.

This is the paradox of the ages.”

– Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World.

Criticized recently for the tendency to favor the theoretical, let’s get practical. Compartmentalization is great in theory. Action blurs the lines, though. Often, we dump the buckets or even overfill them. We are dynamic little devils and have conflicting priorities. Can anyone truly be thorough on every detail and efficient? It depends on the definition and data being compared. Comparison is the thief of joy. Dare to define.

1. Cultivate fields, rip out the stones. Start carving good fertile ground by being rooted in a deep understanding of your goals.
2. Create reservoirs of strength and resilience by planning for the unexpected. Take inventory, have on hand what is needed. Prepare for the feast and more importantly the famine.
3. Review these often to make sure resources are seeded in time for the seasons of harvest. Wells must be dug, a pail must be lowered and drawn up, and all this before thirst is quenched. You must deposit before you can withdraw.

Commit that your “water” remains pure and well distributed where it is intended to be.

This is a journey of continuous reflection.

It is never too late for realignment and restarting down the trail again.

Aspirations and their purpose(s) will always find fuel to drive us ahead.

Just as water sustains life, so too does intentional planning sustain a path to fulfillment, financial or otherwise. We all find the clarity to compartmentalize in some way. Seek out the wisdom to plan, and the courage to restart whenever necessary.

If you want to check out Kelly’s webinar “Reflect, Realign, and Restart,” you can do so on this Link here.