Joy and the Successful Investor: The Upward Spiral
Joy. A concept very hard to define but easy to recognize. You can’t always put your finger on it but you know it when you see it and it’s abundantly clear when you feel it. Often, too, it is unexpected. Like the other day when my son learned how to ride his bike. I watched him smile from ear to ear as he mastered balancing, and then heard him laugh hysterically as he pumped his little legs to sail through the school yard sprinklers. That was unexpected joy and it swelled inside my chest.
But joy can also be cultivated. It can be intentionally tended to and grown over time. It is this joy that runs the deepest, means the most, and has the greatest impact on shaping a brighter future. It is the daily choices we make—to eat healthy and feel better; to let traffic merge instead of tailgating; to refrain from watching trash on television; to engage with our families or significant others instead of living in a virtual cell phone reality; to act selflessly—seeing the needs of others before our own; that practiced over time create a way of being that exudes joy. And, done consistently enough, something funny starts to happen: you start to view the future as bright instead of bleak, and those in your sphere of influence begin to spiral upward as well.
In my decade plus time advising clients, I have seen this truth—my most joyful clients are my most successful investors. Not the other way around. The rewards follow the joy, not joy the rewards. They view the future as bright and invest faithfully in it knowing that no amount of market return will ever be able to generate an internal joy, but that prudent stewardship and a long-term perspective can perpetuate the upward spiral of joy. These clients have more important priorities than portfolio returns on which to focus, and they are living a set of values that maximizes their joy and purpose in this life.
While the old adage states “money can’t buy happiness,” we do believe and know it can help solve a lot of problems in this life, and there can be great joy in being a problem solver for others. Thus, having a sufficient amount of money now and in the future is important so that joy can consistently come from the way it’s used.
So if you are tired of focusing on returns, volatility, “black swan” events, interest rates, the Fed, Bollinger Bands and moving averages, and you are ready to start cultivating joy by focusing on what’s most important in your life, don’t hesitate to call. Our team will take care of the money piece of life so that you are free to do what only you can do. And if my hypothesis is correct, as your joy grows, so will your success as a long-term investor. Here’s to joy and all that follows!