“If you punish people too much for failure, then they will respond accordingly, and the innovation you will get will be very incrementalist.  Nobody is going to try anything bold for fear of getting fired or being punished in the same way, so risk reward must be balanced.”  -Elon Musk I find this quote to be incredibly true, both in business and in our personal lives, with our children, spouses, and significant others. Look, it’s okay to get angry. It’s okay to express disappointment or dissatisfaction. But there must also be a follow-up to that. We also must celebrate the […]

Never forget where you came from. All of your pain. All of your struggle. And all of your joy. They are what builds who we are; what created your unique blueprint. For me, with our kids, we don’t want them to struggle. We try to shield them from the pain or challenges that we experienced. Is that helping or hurting? I think it may be both. I certainly would not want to have my kids experience what I did. But at the same time, the world is changing. We don’t know what kinds of jobs or opportunities they will have […]

Why is it so much easier to go into the dark than it is to go into the light? I think, largely we surround ourselves with people that enjoy gossip and seeing people struggle, versus choosing to surround ourselves with people that truly enjoy seeing others succeed and getting all that they want out of life. For whatever reason, it seems easier to counsel someone when they’re having a difficult time than celebrate someone when they’re enjoying all the successes that they deserve. Noticing this further, I recently got back from a conference of very successful people, and I was […]

I’ve always felt that acknowledging success or saying that things were going to happen – and eventually them happening – was arrogant. It’s not until recently that I’ve realized that it’s not arrogance at all. It’s not even confidence. It’s perfectly okay to talk about things that you’re working on – and even get excited about them, as well as share ideas and discuss things that have worked before (and things that have not). Through a lot of work with my coach and others, what I’ve begun to realize is that this is more about manifesting what you want out […]

If we know eating junk food is going to make us unhealthy, then why do we do it? If we know drinking too much on a Wednesday night is going to make us not feel our best on Thursday morning, then why do we do it? If we know that spending too much money on frivolous things and not focusing on our future retirement is a bad decision, then why do we do it? Getting clear on our why – and being intentional with the decisions we make – is how we achieve long-term intentional success. I heard someone say […]

You are exactly where you’re supposed to be right now. We are exactly where we are supposed to be right now. Remembering those things is something often very difficult – but very, very important. That’s especially true in times of great difficulty, when the news reflects things negatively almost every day, and when uncertainty starts to rear its ugly head. Always try to remember that you are exactly where you are supposed to be at this moment. Whether it’s where you want to be or not, it’s where you are supposed to be. Unhappy in the scenario you’re in? Work […]

Never judge (or be judged) by the actions of our weakest moment. People make mistakes. We are all human. I wholeheartedly believe that most people are good – and want to do good. But, sometimes, stress or situations out of their control bring out the worst in us. Like the term “Sonder” coined by John Koenig describes: “The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own – populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness…” For that reason, try not to judge. Instead, ask questions and find out why […]

Is anyone else ready for the noise to stop? ‘For the calm to return? I know I am. There’s so much noise surrounding us – and it’s so unclear what is worth listening to and what is not. It’s times like these that make it so difficult to turn down the volume. So here are a few things to consider: If it doesn’t make sense, it probably is not worth spending time on. If there is a radical change in your thoughts or shift in opinion, ask yourself if it’s real and valid or just an overreaction. Remember that things […]

“J.D., it’s not you – but we have decided to go a different direction,” he said. “Jeremy, I just got off the phone with a client and friend of mine,” one of our One Wealth advisors told me. “They said they are going a different direction and not using us. What do you make of that?”   Then, another. Man-o-man – this has been a week! We’ve had clients and prospects choosing to go a different direction – things I have NOT experienced much in my 30+ years (or least that I remember). Then, this morning I wake up to […]

Lately, I have been having a really difficult time defining success. My own success. The success of others. What is the definition of success? For instance, Frank Sinatra made 1,200 songs with 209 hits – a 17% success rate. Babe Ruth had 8,399 at-bats and hit 714 home runs. But that’s only an 8.5% success rate. Pablo Picasso created 150,000 pieces of art in his lifetime with 1,170 hits – 0.7% success rate. Yet many consider these three the best to ever do it! In baseball, if you succeed just 30% of the time in your career, you go to […]