Good morning,

I trust everyone is enjoying the summer and hopefully have found time to rest, recharge and reflect.

Our hearts go out to our friends out in western Canada impacted by the wildfires, and those of you down in Southern California dealing with Hilary, stay safe and stay strong.

As we head into the final stretch of summer, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the Vision you have for your life, your family, and the journey ahead.

I found a little short story I thought relevant as it relates to True Wealth, reflecting on where we invest or time, energy and capital…..

Once upon a time there was a businessman who was sitting on the beach in a small Italian village. As he sat, taking a brief break from the stress of his daily schedule, he saw a fisherman rowing a small boat back into the harbour. In the boat were a few large fish.

Impressed, the businessman asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” To which he replied “Oh, not so long.”

The businessman was confused, “Why don’t you fish for longer to catch even more?”

“More? This is enough to feed my entire family and even offer some to my neighbours,” the fisherman said.

“So what do you do for the rest of your day?” Enquired the businessman.

The fisherman replied, “Well, I’ve usually have caught my fish by late morning, at which point I go home, kiss my wife, and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap and read. In the evening, I go to the village to have a drink with my friends, play guitar, sing, and dance into the night!”

Putting his entrepreneurial hat on, the businessman offered a suggestion.

“I have a PhD in business! I can help you become much more successful. From now on, you should spend longer at sea and catch as many fish as possible. When you’ve saved enough money, buy a bigger boat to catch even more fish. From there, you’ll soon be able to buy more boats, set up your own company, build a production plant to can the fish and control distribution, and move to the city to control your other branches.”

To this, the fisherman asks, “And after that?”

The businessman laughs, “After that, you’ll be able to live like a king, take your company public, float your shares and be rich!” “And after that?” Asks the fisherman once more.

“After that, you can retire, move to a house by the sea, wake up early in the morning to go fishing, then return home to play with your kids, kiss your wife, take a nap in the afternoon and join your friends in the village to drink, play guitar and dance into the night!”

Puzzled, the fisherman replies, “But isn’t that what I’m doing already?”

One of our core philosophies At Henderson Wealth, is our belief that understanding your vision for your life, your family and your business is a cornerstone that enables empowerment through personal growth, family harmony and prosperous wealth creation. Before we can initiate our planning, we must first understand our Vision ……. the act or power which gives a direction to our life to make our goals and dreams a reality.

I love working with entrepreneurs’, your enterprising minds are always planning. Our clients have personalities that have goal-pursuit as default hardwiring. This is excellent for producing achievement, but also anxiety, as you’re constantly future-focused. Often you have a developed Vision, but your entrepreneurial mindset won’t let you get past the “how.” Ever hear a little voice in your head say this when you think about your vision? “How are you going to make that happen? Is that even realistic?” It’s completely normal to get caught up in the how: You sit down to write out the vision you have for your company or personal life and let the part of your brain that naturally wants to know the “how” take over. Of course, we’ll get to the actionable “how” naturally, but only once you have defined your Vision, then you can align strategy to achievement.

The goals and plans are in service to the Vision; they’re not the Vision itself. Think of it like going on a big trip: Your vision is your destination, the goals are the signposts along the way, indicating you’re on the path toward your vision.

Now, don’t expect a clear and well-defined vision overnight. Envisioning your life and determining the course requires time, and reflection. When you are thinking about your Vision, perhaps as a question that author Tim Ferris asks himself daily…… “Could it be that everything is fine and complete as is?”

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Mahatma Gandhi

When understanding your Vision, you need to cultivate perspective, and you also need to apply logic and planning for the practical application of your vision. It’s helpful to ask some thought-provoking questions to help you discover the possibilities of what you want out of life. Consider every aspect of your life, personal and professional, tangible and intangible. Contemplate all the important areas, family and friends, career and success, health and quality of life, spiritual connection and personal growth, and don’t forget about fun and enjoyment. But as you start to spend time in Vision reflection mode…….a few tips to consider

• Remember to ask why you want certain things
• Think about what you want, not on what you don’t want.
• Give yourself permission to dream.
• Be creative. Consider ideas that you never thought possible.
• Focus on your wishes, not what others expect of you.

Einstein once said that “If you want a happy life, tie it to a Vision, not to people or things.” As you think about your Vision, revisit what is important to you and remember that it's not what the Vision is, it's what the Vision does.

I’ll leave you with three things for you to think about, three questions that ultimately determine 99% of the happiness in your life:

• What am I working on and why?
• Who am I spending time with and why?
• How well am I treating my body and why?

Don’t get caught up in the how before you truly understand what it is that you want from your years, your months, your days, and your moments……the “how”, the actions to achieve your Vision, will become clear once you have a defined direction and clarity to your pursuit.

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

Mark Twain

Be well and enjoy the moments,

Derek