About a month into the lockdown here in Boston, my neighbor asked if I’d like some sour dough starter so I could make bread. My first thought was I don’t like most sour dough bread that I have eaten. I said, “Yes,” and shortly after that Kevin was at my door holding a large jar like those used for canning and setting up pickles. He gave me a basic lesson in how to feed the starter and a few pages of instructions. “What does this have to do with investing, Penelope? You’re off your reporting beat.” Yes, I create strategies to help people retire with sustainable income and I cook and bake for clients.
So, what does it have to do with you? It has to do with investing, your aging, and your legacy.
If I had said, “No, thanks, I don’t like sour dough bread,” I would have been correct about my past experiences and I would have made sure nothing disturbed my prejudice against bread that wasn’t soft and buttery and heading toward a croissant.
We are continually presented with new ideas, products, and people. We can reject what is new and less familiar or we can allow ourselves to be open to something new that forces us to think out an idea or try something we have not tried before.
Evaluating something new takes energy. Think about visiting a city or country for the first time. It takes a lot more mental energy to navigate the routine actions of the day. New ideas demand energy.
If you are presented with a type of investment that is not familiar but seems to have value for you, do you say no, or do you expend the energy to learn? The effort to evaluate new things with an open mind is a critical way that you can continue to grow and also remain relevant to others. One way we can stay relevant no matter our chronological age is through being thoughtful of others and nurturing bonds of love. Another way is making conversation that shows curiosity and the interest in ideas. Both are about saying “Yes” to what’s around you.
The priceless legacy you give those you love is your example of the courage to think thorough choices especially the most difficult ones that life thrusts on you. More important than any things or money you pass on to others, is your example of how you got through tough times, made significant decisions and did not retreat into a world of preconceived and limiting views of everything.
Saying “Yes” to a sour dough bread starter is a simple example of flexing the “Yes” muscle. There are endless such small commitments that can help train us to say yes. Yes, I’ll entertain this idea, or person, or restaurant, or new musician or investment or vacation spot. Yes, gives us a chance to enlarge our lives. And yes, I have made dozens of loaves of delicious bread because I didn’t let my preconceived idea narrow my experience. Send me an email, I am happy to exchange recipes with you.
Penelope S. Tzougros, PhD, ChFC, CLU. Financial Planner, Author, National Speaker. Wealthy Choices.com.
51 Sawyer Road, Suite 340, Waltham, MA 02453. Direct to Penelope 781 577 2311.
All investing involves risk including loss of principal. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. This is a hypothetical example and is not representative of any specific situation. Your results will vary. The hypothetical rates of return used do not reflect the deduction of fees and charges inherent to investing.
Penelope@wealthychoices.com. Fax 781 893 3565. In all 50 states, Penelope S. Tzougros is registered with, and securities and advisory services are offered through, LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. She is affiliated with Bay Financial Associates, LLC. Financial Planning is offered through Wealthy Choices® and Bay Financial Advisors, Inc. Both are registered investment advisors. Neither is a broker-dealer nor affiliated with LPL Financial.