Musings: Staying positive on the path to success

This week, I begin my forty-third year as a financial advisor; six years before that I was engaged in data processing for the same industry. I’ve been at my trade a while. In 2020, if I see clearly, (pun intended) that will be a half century. I’m proud of what we’ve built and grateful for what we have. My team and our clients are largely responsible for our mutual success. Luck played a role and inspiration and perspiration paired well. My foolproof recipe for exhausting all avenues of failure to discover success continues to be my home run swing. Whatever the reasons, I am deeply thankful for where we are together.

With 48 financial years and 75 life years under my belt, permit me a few observations.

Along the way, we noticed it wasn’t just about money. Money wasn’t all that important unless you didn’t have any. As we had more resources, most of us understood that life is about something much more than our “silly little selves.” Life is about how we serve, what we contribute, what difference we make, and what legacy we leave. Helping you get to your dreams, gets me to mine.

Success, for me, has been an over rated notion. It didn’t teach me very much. Failure, on the other hand, was most illuminating. It lit up my entire night sky and said softly, “Hey, dumb ass, don’t do that again.”

When I finally got my life figured out, it became much less a patchwork of pieces and much more a mosaic of purpose. Early on, I understood I had personal and professional responsibilities. Much later I would realize life’s a far better place when you develop your philanthropic and civic responsibilities. When I honor the values I was raised with, represent the best my industry can be, remember what a precious privilege it is to be an American, and embrace giving without greed because there’s need, my simple song becomes a symphony. I love that music.

In a world that is so divisive, in which so many are marginalized, I’m honored to be on this positive path and to share that path with you. Cheers to many more years of serving and sharing AND BEING POSITIVE!

Thank you for CAREing about STARCARE.

Regards,
Richard