1. I have no personal goals and I haven't had any in years.
I've never been much of a goal oriented person. I seek to grow, improve and evolve but "I want to achieve X by such and such a date" doesn't play a role in any of my various activities or endeavors.2. I spend no time prospecting to grow my practice
I'm an investment advisor. I read one article ages ago that guessed that the typical advisor spends 70% of their time trying to grow their practice. I spend zero which gives me tremendous freedom. I started with two clients and built my practice based on writing and people coming to me. I spend whatever time is needed when someone does approach me of course. My mindset is let's talk and see if it is a fit. I have certain beliefs on how to navigate stock market cycles that will not resonate with everyone and that is ok. "I think I'm pretty good at what I do and if how I do things works for you, great, no problem if it doesn't." I don't want to be the sales guy that people try to avoid.3. Do the right thing and the money will take care of itself
I do a lot of stuff for free. Day job related, if someone just wants a second opinion or the like I am glad to do that for free and give my best effort. There have been plenty of times were the best and most honest answer was there's no real need to fire your existing advisor. If I can help someone, that is a good outcome regardless whether they become a client.
Fire department related, being the chief of Walker Fire is almost a full time gig in terms of hours spent and of course there is no income from it. I give it my absolute all and we've built something very special. In conjunction with my involvement, I've created two paths to very lucrative income streams, if I ever need them, working on large fires on Incident Management Teams (IMTs) which are the organizations that manage large fires like the recent Crooks Fire we just had on our back porch. One path comes from my EMT certification and the other is probably from what I've done as chief for the last 10 years to be a liaison officer trainee (then fully qualified liaison after a time). There are also other jobs on IMTs that I might be able to pursue that are less lucrative. If I needed this, money would be taking care of itself by virtue of the years of free work I've put in.4. Diet and exercise
My ideas here should not be odd but very few people adopt these behaviors. Cut carbohydrate consumption and lift weights. I've got a lot of posts on NotePD about how important this is so I will just say that I have no gifts beyond the discipline to stick with low carb and to lift religiously. I am 56 and look like a very fit 40 year old. I promise, it is just a matter of habits. One way I phrase this is that if you're doing work that results in you looking younger on the outside, you're probably also younger on the inside and my blood markers back that assertion up.5. I've said no to jobs what would have paid me a lot more money
It is crucial to know when the grass will not be greener. If you spend $50,000/yr but you make $100,000/yr at a job you like, how much better off would would be making $150,000? In economic terms, what is the marginal utility of the extra $50,000 if it would turn your life inside out? The value of my lifestyle is very high to me. I have tremendous freedom working for myself and I am not willing to give that up.6. I'll add to this list as I think of others.
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