“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

—Henry David Thoreau

Growth mindset is a choice. Growing your wealth management practice is a choice—your choice.

It is up to you to choose your next destination. If you feel you have achieved all your goals and are standing on top of the mountain with your hands up high, find a new mountain. Discover or create a new height to scale. Build something, leave a legacy, be a mentor, make a difference in people's lives, and continue building your business by bringing the next generation into this wonderful business. A leader's greatest motivation is a new challenge. A new challenge may be writing an article or a book. It may be bringing in a new partner.

Recently, I visited Harry, a 77‐year‐old master woodworker. Since woodworking is one of my hobbies, I consider Harry my mentor (he is an outstanding teacher). He was working on a bird feeder that was quite elaborate and beautiful, and he was having fun trying to figure out how to get these particular corners the way he envisioned. They were more challenging than he originally thought. Harry doesn't look for the easy‐way solution; he looks to challenge himself. Harry derives a great deal of happiness when he tries to solve these challenges. I can see it in his eyes. If you have a growth mindset, new challenges will motivate you.

Creating passion in your life is key. Be open to the possibilities and explore. That's the ultimate growth mindset. Aristotle was right when he said, “It's the journey, after all, and not the destination.” Creating new goals and challenges, whether professional or personal, in order to stay in the zone or flow doesn't just happen. You have to put in the effort. The professional challenge should serve your personal life just as a personal challenge should have an impact on your professional life.

Most of all, don't stop learning and growing, no matter how old you are. If you are climbing to the summit of your first mountain, stay the course and enjoy the journey. Be a giver, not a taker. Learn from others: everyone has something to teach you. Be a student of the business and always, always put the clients' interests first.

The qualities of the most successful advisors in wealth management are, ultimately, very simple:

• Know who you are and whom you want to be.
• Know your business, target market, and model.
• Deliver exceptional service and performance based on client goals.
• Know the true value of a client.
• Know you are the solution the client is buying.
• Aim for optimal performance and know how to get in the zone.
• Know how to move from good to great. Complacency is your enemy. Good is the enemy of great.
• Turn knowledge and information into advice and into growth.
• Be a lifelong learner, ever‐growing, ever‐evolving.
• Be an effective collaborator and communicator.
• Invest back into the business.
• Don't try to be all things to all people.

For me, the secret of my success is simple. And more importantly it is very clear and has stood the test of time. It isn't some innovative idea, superior talent, or extraordinary discipline. It's a combination of being in the right business, having the right mentors, having some good luck, and most of all being persistent. Giving up was not an option; sports helped me create a belief that perseverance could give me a major advantage. If I look back, not giving up when I got knocked down was my answer. Sports taught me very valuable lessons. And that's what's wonderful about this business. If you're persistent, you can achieve as much success as you can handle for you and your clients.

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

—Olympic Motto