How Strong Is Your Why? (Revised)
Typically, our goals and aspirations lead us to effect changes in our lives. Without a strong why these goals and aspirations are often relegated to just another unsuccessful attempt to dream beyond our capabilities or reach for an unsuitable state for which we are not matched. Your why is the ignition within your heart that develops the passion for discovering something larger than yourself. It is not enough to want or desire something; you must have a strong why that overcomes all obstacles and creates a steadfast focus on the endgame.
Your why cannot just be for monetary gain. Money has always been a very weak stimulus. Once you identify your why all excuses are eliminated, and your goals become plausible. “When your why is strong enough, you will figure out how” (Bill Walsh). By discovering a strong why, we build a powerful, unstoppable force capable of elevating us to heights well beyond traditional logic. At this stage, we realize God blessed us with unique talents not for individual gain but for serving our fellow man.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 1 Peter 4:10
My Why
When I transitioned to become a financial advisor, I hoped to help people navigate the complex financial system to become comfortable in their retirement — my why. Before becoming a financial advisor, I spent four months studying and preparing for all the industry exams. I obtained my series 7 license (general securities representative exam — stockbroker), series 65 license (uniform investment adviser law exam), series 63 license (uniform securities agent state law exam), and life and health insurance licenses. I am also licensed as a real estate broker. I quickly became dismayed when I started working in my chosen profession. Not only was this new career just another sales job, but they also designed it to support the wealthy because they are usually the only clients that have money to invest. I gained some level of satisfaction as a financial advisor. However, I was not reaching enough people.
I concluded that to reach my target audience; I needed to become an educator. I started a side hustle, consulting and coaching individuals and small business owners. I also spent four years, in my spare time, learning how I could reach the masses and not just build a career void of my why. My why was screaming for a broader audience. I created a blog site dedicated to retail clients, not only the wealthy, espousing the truths about money and investing. Unfortunately, my blog site came to a halt before I could publish my first article. The compliance person at my broker-dealer did not share my passion for educating retail clients on the truths about investing and exposing the propaganda disseminated by the financial service industry. My why was officially in prison. Therefore, I fired my broker-dealer and gave up my series 7 and 63 licenses. I kept my advisory series 65 license so I could still give investment advice. This move provided me more flexibility on how I ran my business without the over-regulated government compliance oversight.
My why lead me to the realization that writing was the most efficient method to spread my passion for educating the multitudes. At the time, I felt my writing skills were mediocre. I wanted to become a better writer to gain the interest of readers to follow my blog posts, articles, and published books. I could not accept mediocrity in my life. My why would accept nothing but the best. I had to obtain a higher degree, one that only 3 percent of the world’s population acquired. I needed to complete my doctorate. Completing my doctorate will ensure the professional standards of writing and research skills necessary to become a better writer. On June 12, 2020, I completed my doctoral journey.
I now work with all clients in a healthy environment doing the work God has designed especially for me. I continue to write articles that are published in my blog posts or online. I also just published my first book “Investing in a Secular World, Discovering Biblical Truths about Money”.
I look forward to meeting you and hearing your story.
Your Faithful Servant
Gerald L. House DBA