Happiness can be achieved by implementing our three happy determinants into your working week.
As a financial adviser, you are already connecting with people but do you regularly see new clients? If you are self-employed, then you are working in an environment that provides you with some freedom but are you truly independent? You help people with their financial decisions, but are you really making a positive difference in their lives? If not, then you have barriers to overcome.
However, you may have cynical thoughts about the concept of happiness and are still struggling to accept the findings despite the evidence. This is natural since happiness is used as a word to describe your emotional state and not normally used as a choice option.
You should choose to be happy. If you don’t yet accept this as an option for you, then that is because you are bogged down with barriers to your happiness, and as a result, you are unable to see alternatives to your thinking. Barriers are clouding your judgement and preventing your progress.
Highlighted are the barriers that financial advisers face every day and have concluded that all obstacles, threats and concerns can be categorised into three separate groups:
- The tolerable (those you cannot change)
- The influential (those that you can either accept or dismiss)
- The personal (those that you can change)
By the end of the ‘Barriers are no threat to your happiness’ section in the ‘Happy Financial Adviser’ book, you will be able to analyse a perceived barrier or threat to your working day, your time or your ability to earn, and drop that barrier into a category. By knowing the three categories, you will know how best to react to that barrier, obstacle or threat, how to treat it and immunise yourself against.
You will be able to see a barrier to your happiness exactly as it should be – no barrier at all. Instead, barriers will become nothing more than one of three processes you will be able to apply to allow you to move on positively.
Underneath the three barrier categories are a variety of barriers you already deal with. You need to ensure you have the tools in place to deal with threats and barriers that don’t yet know, but when they appear (and they will) you will be able to deal with them succinctly.
You will better understand the financial advice industry that you work in and how to overcome perceived barriers, threats, and constraints – those rules, regulations and constant changes, to which you must adhere.
I will outline the typical barriers to your progress in the financial services industry with the very positive message that it is essential to overcome these perceived barriers of business, life, and our ever changing industry.
You will learn to appreciate that the qualifications you hold to exist as a modern financial adviser don’t automatically translate into a happy and fruitful career, but instead, your success is down to your own attitude in how you react to barriers and constraints. Being unhappy is a state of actuality and can be achieved today. Remaining happy is ensuring you overcome obstacles and barriers in pursuit of greater happiness and even bigger success.
You will have a better understanding of the right mindset to succeed in this industry and your role when compared to the pace of technological change.
With a better understanding of these barriers, and barrier categories, you will improve the way you think about the industry today and have a more positive outlook. You will be more appreciative of the role of the authorities in shaping the financial services profession to your benefit.
In essence, you will understand the bigger picture and be in a position to briefly explain salient points about your industry to your clients, family and friends. You will feel happier with every understanding and in turn start to appreciate that happiness is indeed a choice.
‘The Happy Financial Adviser’ is an Amazon #1 bestseller and is available to buy. Find out why this book is 5 star rated and how it has helped other financial advisers become happier in their life and profession.
