Most of us grew up hearing our parents repeat the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Then, at some point in life, the fear of failing became more powerful than the fear of not trying.

Last month, the story of Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx and self-made billionaire, was all over the news. My curiosity raised, I searched the internet to learn more about her story of success.

According to Ms. Blakely, her father taught her the try, try again lesson in a slightly different way. Each week, she and her brother were asked at what they had failed. He emphasized the message that finding what you are good at, is only accomplished by learning what you are not good at. Ms. Blakely credits this freedom to fail lesson, as a primary reason for her success.

So how is this relevant to financial planning? I believe this concept lies at the core of most components of a successful life plan and a successful financial plan. In this and the next blog I would like to share examples of how this relates.

As I guide people toward retirement, a period that we at Karp Financial Strategies view as a “time of reinvention”, I frequently hear the same comment, “I don’t know what I am going to do with myself.”

My answer, “All the things you never got to do in your youth/working years.”

Why would someone worry that they don’t have enough activities and interests to keep them busy in retirement with all that life has to offer? What happens to that child in all of us, the one that runs around the backyard without worrying about what you might trip over.

Permission Granted – to begin the list of activities and adventures that will fill your own “reinvention”. Contact us and let Karp Financial Strategies help you match your wish list with your financial plan strategy.

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