As I continue to train to climb Mt. Everest in May, one of the things that I’m working on is learning how to breath and to catch my breath. Life is different at 39,000 feet than it is at sea level. #Everyday Everest

So, with this in mind, let’s slow down for a moment and rethink where we are going. These past few days and couple of weeks have been full of news reports and market shifts—things we cannot control on our own. But they are a part of our lives. This means we have to manage how we think and what we do next.

The two things we can do is control how we react to the news each day and how we respond in our own lives. Are you panicked by what you are hearing? I’m going to explain why we need to remain steady: first, if you panic, the hearts and lives of those you love will be troubled along with the people who work for you and with you.

Second, panic solves nothing. It only causes even more problems and empties the shelves at the grocery store. Once it spreads, it takes over and clutters our minds with “what ifs.” We become paralyzed.

Fear is the absence of faith. A lion paralyzes its prey with a roar because it strikes fear into the heart. And fear and panic lead to confusion. You never need to go to this extreme.

Stop for a moment and ask: What does my Perfect Day look like today?  What does my perfect week look like? With all the news bytes being taken up by the coronavirus and the 2020 election, it may seem anywhere from frustrating to dismal. But let’s turn this around: remember Perfect Days are imperfect.

Times like these are the very times you can take the most imperfect moment and turn it into one that is worthwhile, meaningful, and perfect. How do you do this? By keeping your focus set on what is actual and not on what could or could not happen.

Don’t ignore a problem. But keep your perspective set on the course you have chosen to take with your financial adviser. “Risk comes,” says Warren Buffett “from not knowing what you are doing.”

If you don’t have a trusted adviser, I’m here to walk with you during this roller coaster time of extreme ups and downs.

Remember, most years, you have 365 opportunities to have days that are perfect for your life story. Each one contains some form of  joy, sorrow, happiness, trouble, and everything else in-between. Keep your mind and heart set like a flint‚ solid and go forward!

If you are looking to a bank account or a stock return to brighten your life, then your eyes are set in the wrong direction. It’s not how much you have that brings peace and contentment or joy. It’s how much you enjoy what you have been given. This is where true joy is found.

I have been working as a financial adviser for nearly 25 years, and I want to tell you the “closing bell” is not the final word.

Tomorrow will come. Perfect Days are not made up of time spent chasing ways to make them “perfect.”

Perfect Days come when you live fully—right where you are, when you learn to walk in faith and share your life with others.

It’s all about living your core Perfect Day beliefs:

Core — What comes first in your life? Is it family, health, values, relationships, and spiritual connections. It should be; no compromise will work here.

Experience — Contentment comes when you add to your life things that cannot be erased like wisdom, education, acquired skills, talents, dreams for the future and places you have traveled to and friendships you have forged.

Contribution — My clients tell me that giving increases their joy more than anything else. Anonymous acts that include volunteerism, supporting well-vetted charities, giving of your time and money really has a greater return than you can imagine.

Financial — Finally, here is where you invest for your future, your goals, and your retirement. This includes cash stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, businesses and other material possessions.

You can put a flexible plan in place that does not fail or fall apart when the markets go up or down. Also, you may have read my newsletters for months, and you are ready to take a deeper dive. Perfect Day clients learn not only how to invest their finances; they learn how to invest in themselves in life again.

Reserve your place for my free webinar and see if it’s time for a free 15-minute Perfect Day Bootcamp!

While you are at it, unpack the financial tools you need for success! Download a free copy of my book The Liberated Investor.