My “why”

I share a little bit of this in my story, but to understand why I do this as a career involves a deeper purpose within me. My short answer is that I thoroughly enjoy helping people figure out their money problems. I experience great fulfillment when I’m able to guide a person through a radical, positive life change.

Passion

My long answer requires a better understanding of who I am as a person. As I approach 30 years of age, I can look back and say that I have done quite a lot of reflecting and soul-searching throughout my 20’s. However, I still continue to learn many new things about myself, especially over the last few months. One particular thing I realized is my desire to “fix” things. This can be a broken object, a relationship issue, a strategy problem, or even just something that needs refreshing. Put simply, I find gratification in taking something and making it better. My grandmother’s fondest memory of me was a time I visited her place while I was just 8 years old. Instead of playing with toys or going outside, I spent my time repairing her damaged VCR player. It seems this innate passion shaped my life without even my full awareness, but it has guided me into who I am today.

Talents

Doing what I love was only part of the equation. When I use my talents in combination with my passion, my efforts create a bigger impact. I recently came to be a huge fan of Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment. From all the self-identification tests I have taken, StrengthsFinder was by far the most comprehensive and accurate evaluation. From it, I learned my top 5 strengths were:

  1. Relator
  2. Analytics
  3. Individualization
  4. Intellection
  5. Input

In short, I have the natural ability to make genuine relationships, to use logic in my decision-making process, to find talent in others, to explain complicated subjects in simple terms, and to crave information. Today, I see these as essential components to my success as a financial coach. Having the talent to do what you love, and do it well, is unquestionably fun.

Values

That brings me to the final piece of the puzzle: core values. Faith, family, and service are the guiding forces to nearly all my important choices. My faith in God establishes the principles to who I am called to be. My family is how I best experience true love in this world. My commitment to serve stems from my desire for holiness through humility and charity. With that said, my passion and talents are meaningless without a foundation of values. When I am able to utilize my strengths for developing my passion into something serviceable, then I know I am serving my purpose.

So Why Financial Coaching?

I am sure there are plenty of other careers that can bring together my passion, talents, and values, but this was a natural progression for me. After getting married and taking Dave Ramsey’s FPU course with my wife, it set me on fire to live debt-free. It was not just motivation, but intense desire. I hated living in financial chaos and never wanted to stress over money again. I craved financial control and the ambition to live and give in abundance.

Dave Ramsey was the one who inspired hope in me and made it easy to follow. I want to be that inspiration to others. I want people to feel what I felt when I became debt-free. I want to see others win with me. I want to empower individuals to take control of their financial life. At the end of the day, I do this to guide people to financial freedom and peace. That is my “why.”