Kawhi's Wisdom, 2% in Yourself, and Are You Slack'in?

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I hope this week is treating you with joyful moments and reminders that you are living your best life. If not, let’s start now…

We are already in the middle of June – where are the month and year going? If you think time is moving too quickly, I’m right there with you. It’s time to make your moves to embrace change and get that joy in your life. If you’ve already made some impactful moves, share your success story on my blog.

I have been reflecting on the 2019 NBA Championship over the last week and I have some goodies applicable for you. If you missed it, the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors exactly one week ago. As you know, I love me some sports and I’ve talked about the Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, Finance, and You two years ago.

This time, it is all about my boy Kawhi Leonard (OK, I don’t know him but I’m a huge fan), who was the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. Now, Kawhi only played 9 games with the San Antonio Spurs last season due to injury. Many of his teammates and the Spurs organization felt that he could have played more and should have worked harder to come back earlier from injury. Well, Kawhi listened to his own body and took the time he felt he needed to heal. Given his clash with the Spurs organization, he eventually demanded to be traded away from the Spurs. He landed in Toronto, and went on to win the NBA championship in his very first year there. Bam!

Here’s what I take away from Kawhi’s story that’s relevant for YOU:

Trust yourself.

Invest in yourself.

Believe in yourself.

Repeat.

Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Many people struggle with trusting their own instincts due to fear, overindexing on the opinion of others, and/or trapped by inaction due to mistakes you have made from prior decisions. And, a lack of trust in yourself penetrates how you deal with money and wealth. Here’s my definitions to apply these learnings to YOUR life:

  • Trusting yourself means allowing your knowledge of you come to the forefront and dominate your actions. You know yourself better than anyone.

  • Investing in yourself means taking action to put in the resources - time and money - to take yourself to the next level (keep reading) .

  • Believing in yourself actually means having faith that your efforts will come to fruition.

  • Repeat. No explanation needed.

 

Even when you might get knocked down, or your confidence is shaky on any of these steps, I hope that you are reminded of your unique purpose in the world. Find yourself at the center and go forth boldy. Remember, you are the CEO of your money, which starts with you.  

 

And, in case you missed it…

Slack Went Public Today. The company’s stock closed first day at $38.62, which came in above previous private-trading levels and 49% higher than the $26 reference price published on Wednesday. The company still isn’t profitable, but clearly the market places a high premium on this workplace-messaging service. Your company might use Slack, like we do in my day job at Next Street. But, I’ve resisted the urge to fully engage in another app designed to ‘improve’ my productivity. I agree with Vox’s take that Slack is ruining work.  I didn’t buy the stock for this very reason, but I will follow how this stock does over the next year and whether its direct listing plays any part in its success. If you are interested in learning more about a direct listing versus a traditional listing on the NYSE, check out this WSJ article.  

“The Best Financial Advice I Ever Got.” In this WSJ article, four financial advisors share their tips on finances. I like two of them. Related to my recipe above, Ted Jenkin, the CEO of oXYGen Financial says that you should invest 2% of your income in you. And, my friend and Charisse Says supporter, Lazetta Rainey Braxton of Financial Fountains, encourages you to “live on one income,” which I respect and challenge you try. What’s the best financial advice that you’ve received, and from whom?  Leave a comment below.