It has been 2 months since the launch of my book When Anything is Possible. Since, then, the days have been busy figuring out what it looks like to launch a book in the middle of a global pandemic. Thanks to the hard work of my great PR team, I have been on a bunch of podcasts, tv, radio, guest blogs, and featured in several articles (all available here). Over the course of this, I feel fortunate to have met and conversed with a bunch of interesting people. I thought at the 2-month mark, it might be helpful to share some lessons learned over those conversations.
First – avoiding a negative outcome is not the same thing as pursuing a positive goal.
One of my early challenges with the book was finding a clear and concise way to explain what the book is about and why I chose to write it. Over the course of the last few months, I feel that I have been able to distill down the essence of the book. Namely, that however our wealth grows, the most common place we begin in managing wealth is to focus on avoiding the negative outcomes of wealth. We bring advisors around us to help avoid major mistakes in tax, law, and the selection of investments.
Yet, I think we would all agree that there is a significant difference between avoiding driving into a ditch and going on a road trip – the choice of destination matters! Because of this difference, we should not be surprised at the statistics surrounding wealth such as most ultra-high net worth individuals not viewing themselves as financially secure. These statistics only attest to this misalignment that most people bring to their wealth between reality and expectations. The heart of the book is about asserting positive direction at the outset.
Second, there seems to be a general appetite to talk about questions of meaning and purpose but finding an on-ramp to the conversation can be the challenge. Like the Oracle at Delphi cautioned in Ancient Greece to ‘Know Thyself’ – that is easier said than done. Whether due to a perceived lack of financial literacy or challenges arising from a personal background, learning to wade into these questions can be a challenge. The book and its accompanying worksheet are meant to help provide tools to have these sorts of dialogues.
Finally, it feels like an awkward time to be talking about the reality of financial blessing. Because of the global pandemic, it can feel like the wrong time to talk about these issues when there is real, acute, wide-spread suffering. Instead, I would suggest this is exactly the right time. Because of the forced simplification of our lives with reduced commutes, travel, and extra-curricular activities – this may be the first window of time someone has had to wade into these issues.
As well, people have been exceptionally philanthropic to help others out during this time. Knowing how to wrestle thoughtfully the questions of where to press in and what dollar amounts require a much more holistic conversation about wealth.
It has been a busy couple of months getting the word out about the book with more activity to follow. If you have not had a chance to read it yet, pick up a copy from Amazon here.