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The Number One Best Practice To Reduce Financial Advisor Stress

Simon Reilly
Wake up cell message illustration design over white

This title reminds me of a book title by Terrence Real: “I Don’t Want To Talk About It.”

The World Health Organization has identified stress as the “health epidemic of the 21st century” costing North Americans $300 Billion every year.

According to Max Lucado, author of “Anxious For Nothing,” “one psychologist reports that the average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s.”

Google research indicates that there are 5 Quintilian bytes of information created every single day and that 90% of the information that has been created, has been created in the last two years.

CNBC reports a recent survey found that 71% of financial advisors said they experience moderate or high negative stress, compared to 63% of investors.

In a recent episode of Kitces and Carl – Building Resiliency For The Stress Of Being A Financial Advisor, Michael Kitces and Carl Richards talk about how a huge part of the financial advisor job is to be the release valve for other people’s anxiety.

Remedies for stress in days of old included: documenting your values and vision, time management, team building, delegation and having strong boundaries. All of these have merit.

For some, these tried and true remedies for building a strong mindset are not working that well in this overstimulated world in which we live.

One has to go beyond mindset, and understand and practice mindfulness and self-compassion.

  • Mindset – based upon a set of values and beliefs
  • Mindfulness – self-awareness and appreciating the present moment – being mindful when your mind is full. It is a non-reactive form of meditation, encouraging us not to cast judgement – good or bad – over the feelings we experience. Consciousness is a calming mechanism in stressful situations
  • Self-compassion – self-kindness, common humanity combined with being Mindful

Here is The Number One Best Practice To Reduce Financial Advisor Stress.

It is called Wake Up Twice.

You are familiar with the first wake up call.

You know – When you are in lucid sleep and then you wake up for the first time.

The first wake-up call is when you become awake and the thought addiction starts.

The thought addiction is based upon your fear-based, unmet needs-seeking ego mind.

Your fear-based, unmet needs-based ego mind has you addicted to thought, thinking;

  • What do I have to do today?
  • Who do I have to see today?
  • How will I earn extra money today?
  • Who do I have to impress today?
  • What conflict do I have to deal with today?

ENOUGH!

STOP!

SHUT UP!

It is time for the second wake-up call.

The second wake-up call is when you, your higher self wakes up.

To when your higher self wakes up to no thought or thinking.

With practice your first wake-up call will be when you wake up in lucid sleep noticing your breathing as you affirm:

  • I love and accept myself as I am
  • I love and accept myself as I am
  • I love and accept myself as I am

Noticing your breathing for 5 minutes as you affirm:

  • I love and accept myself as I am
  • I love and accept myself as I am
  • I love and accept myself as I am

Then you can get out of bed.