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It Comes FromWithin F eb. 2 is Groundhog Day, which means it’s the perfect time to watch the Bill Murray classic, “Groundhog Day.” This is one of my favorite movies. I could watch it over and over again, which is a little ironic, given the plot of the film. If you’ve never seen this comedy classic, put down this newsletter and go watch it immediately! I’ll wait.
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And it’s not just in finances where we can get stuck in a pattern. I was in a failing marriage where I tried doing whatever I could to make everything perfect in our home because I thought that would make everyone happy. Instead I stressed out my children and no one was happy. It took me a long time to realize the best thing I could do was not try to change my spouse. It was not my responsibility to change him and I only made the situation worse. To let go was a really hard decision because change is always difficult, no matter what.
Alright, if you don’t have time to watch the movie right now, here’s the summary: Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, a cynical weatherman who
is sent to cover the Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Somehow, Phil finds himself caught in a time loop, forced to relive Groundhog Day over and over again until he learns how to be a better person. It takes him a long time to figure that out though.
No one can make you change; you have to want it for yourself.
Change means putting yourself in the unfamiliar, and that can be scary. This is why true change must
come from within. No one can make you change; you have to want it for yourself. My job is not to change people but to help guide them towards their goals. People do a lot better with achieving goals they chose for themselves rather than what they think they’re supposed to do. This is demonstrated so well in “Groundhog Day.” Phil didn’t become a better, happier person until he decided to change. He had to change his heart, and that could only come from within. To change and break old habits, you need to have courage, focus, perseverance and, above all, forgiveness. First, you need to be able to forgive yourself, then others. Change can be something you truly desire, but you must accept the fact that you may occasionally fall back into old habits. Thinking of change as a transformation can make slip-ups easier to overlook as you will find yourself focused on the transformation rather than the mistakes. The good news is that your slip-ups are not fatal, they’re merely the learning lesson. So, will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow this year?
Phil spends a lot of his time loops still being an obnoxious person because he knows there will be no consequences. He even tries to seduce his coworker, Rita, who turns him down because he’s not a nice guy. Over
time, Phil realizes he cares about Rita and wants her in his life. In order to get that, he needs to make some big changes about himself. When Phil finally proves himself and wins Rita’s heart, he’s able to move on to Feb. 3, the day after Groundhog Day. There’s a lot of reasons why I like “Groundhog Day,” but one of the biggest reasons is how Phil’s situation is something a lot of people experience. Take away the supernatural elements, and you have a man who’s stuck in his habits, doing the same things again and again even though they don’t help him. Many people I know can relate to this feeling. I’ve helped a lot of people break these patterns in their financial habits. They want to successfully manage their money, but they keep doing the same thing over and over again and see the same results. It doesn’t change unless they do something truly different.
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‘LETMY PEOPLE GO SURFING: THE EDUCATION OF A RELUCTANT BUSINESSMAN’ How Patagonia’s Founder Set a New Standard for Environmental Responsibility
February is American Heart Month. There are many ways to improve your heart health, including quitting smoking or getting more exercise, but there are some heart health habits you might not realize you are doing. Did you know donating to charity or holding the door open for a stranger is good for your health? Practicing acts of kindness has a tangible impact on our health and overall well-being. Being kind is good for the heart. When we do something kind, our body creates a hormone called oxytocin. This hormone is responsible for that “warm, fuzzy” feeling we get from being kind. Dr. David R. Hamilton, an organic chemist, found that oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide, which dilates our blood vessels. When our blood vessels are dilated, our blood pressure goes down. Dr. Hamilton called oxytocin a “cardioprotective” because lowering blood pressure helps protect the heart. Being kind can help us live longer. In the book “Raising Happiness,” Dr. Christine Carter discusses how kindness is a better indicator of 2 From the very beginning of his 2006 memoir, “Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman,” it’s clear that Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, is not the typical entrepreneur. As a kid, Chouinard wanted to be a fur trapper, and rather than going into business with dreams of getting rich, he started making climbing gear to fund his passion for scaling cliffs and adventuring in the outdoors. “Let My People Go Surfing” follows Patagonia’s meteoric rise through its victories and rough patches — including the stalled growth that led to layoffs of 20% of the staff in the 1990s — but its main focus is on the company’s ideals. In plain, forthright, and sometimes irascible language, Chouinard lays out Patagonia’s growth goals, culture aims, and environmental stewardship efforts. The last of which is truly the core of the brand. Patagonia prioritizes minimalism, function, durability, and reparability in all of its products, from backpacks to jackets. It tracks the energy and water use of
its facilities, works to eliminate pollution, focuses on recycled and recyclable materials, participates in environmental activism, funds environmental organizations worldwide, and even encourages shoppers to send in worn-out apparel for reuse and repair. In short, over the course of 272 pages, Chouinard proves he not only talks the talk but also walks the walk — and has made millions championing his cause. He encourages other entrepreneurs to do the same, laying out Patagonia’s footsteps and philosophies for readers to follow. Many already have. “Let My People Go Surfing” was updated and rereleased in 2016, but either version will make entrepreneurs think twice about their environmental impact and what they can do to reduce it. As one Amazon reviewer wrote, “Whether you’re a manager or business owner looking to motivate your employees and create a sustainable business, or a fan of Patagonia, or someone curious about how to live a life you can feel good about, this book should work for you.”
BE KIND
longevity, outranking physical health, exercise, gender, lifestyle habits, and other contributing factors. “Giving help to others protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease,” Dr. Carter wrote. “People 55 and older who volunteer for two or more organizations have an impressive 44% lower likelihood of dying early … This is a stronger effect than exercising four times a week or going to church.”
Being kind makes us happier. It feels good when someone is nice to us, and it turns out it feels good to be nice to someone else. In 2010, Harvard Business School conducted a survey of happiness in 136 countries and found that people who are altruistic — specifically, people who were generous financially, which included charitable donations — were happiest overall. This is likely because being kind created serotonin, a hormone that helps heal wounds, makes us feel calmer, and increases levels of happiness. Being kind is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways we can change our lives. The best part is that kindness is contagious. Research from Dartmouth College found that when someone witnesses a kind act, they are more likely to “pay it forward” and do a kindness for others. When we’re kind, we literally have the power to make the world a better place.
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DO YOU WANT 2020 TO BE A REMARKABLE YEAR?
It’s only the second month of the year. How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Are you still hitting the gym three times a week and sticking to the new budget? Or have you found yourself back in your preholiday habits? A report from U.S. News found that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February. This isn’t because people are lazy or not willing to change. It all has to do with finding our “why.” Our “why” is our reason for doing things. It’s the core of our motivation. Simon Sinek, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, captured the power of why in his book “Start With Why.” According to Sinek, the human brain works in three levels: what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. The why rests at the heart of everything else. If our why isn’t strong enough, we tend to give up our goals at the first challenge. We just aren’t dedicated enough to persevere. If your New Year’s resolution this year was to budget your money better, and you’ve already broken that resolution, take a look at why you made that resolution in the first place. If you made it because you thought, “Business owners are supposed to be good with their money,” then your why wasn’t strong enough. Doing things because we’re “supposed to” is never a strong motivation. You have to want it. As Napoleon Hill stated, one needs a burning desire to attain their goals.
THE GOOD NEWS!
Your goals or resolutions won’t last if you base them off weak motivations. When you make goals, make sure they align with your why. In order to find your why, you must ask yourself some hard questions: • What’s your purpose? • What’s your passion? • What’s your cause? • What do you believe in? • Why do you get out of bed in the morning? • How can you get others to care? When your goals align with your why, you will find the motivation to keep working toward those goals no matter what challenges you may face. Knowing your why means knowing what you’re doing is truly worthwhile. Need help finding your why or staying on the right path toward your goals? Find a coach who can help you leverage your natural tendencies to your advantage. Call either 920-944-6020 or 678-491-9744 and learn how finding your why can make you happier and more successful.
DLJ Wealth Services, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Advisory services are provided by DLJ Wealth Services LLC. DLJ Wealth Services, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Tax advice is provided through DLJ Tax Services, LLC, a separate legal entity, but both companies are owned by Deb Matz.
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‘Well, What If There’s No Tomorrow?’
Yvon Chouinard’s Rise FromWannabe Fur Trapper to Billionaire Entrepreneur
The Secret Way to Improve Heart Health
But Why?
Have You Heard the Good News?
The Effects of Love on Your Physical Health
The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE?
The human brain is an incredibly powerful organ. It solves complex
problems, recalls forgotten memories, and triggers a dizzying array of emotions. But its most incredible power is the effect it can have on the rest of the body. When it comes to love, well, our brains certainly love it, and our bodies reflect that.
those who are anxious or depressed. The physical benefits of love even go as far as healing wounds quicker. Small injuries inflicted on a wide test group at Ohio State University Medical Center healed nearly twice as fast on people who experienced consistent warmth and care than those who experienced hostility. In fact, the latter group needed almost a full additional day to achieve the same amount of healing as the first group. Being surrounded by love may even save your life. A statistic from the National Health Interview Survey states that single people face a 58% higher risk of mortality. Further bolstering that claim is the Harvard Health Blog, which claims happily married participants experience better health as they age when compared to peers in unhappy partnerships. In fact, the blog asserts, “People in stressful, unhappy marriages may be worse off than a single person who is surrounded by supportive and caring friends, family, and loved ones.” So, it seems the results are in: Loving someone is a healthy lifestyle choice. Even having a strong network of friends and family boosts your odds of living a long life by 50%. So, get out there and make the healthy choice for yourself and those around you by leading a life full of love. Longer, Happier Lives
Less Stress
Human beings thrive on a sense of connection and belonging, and studies have shown that love actually has positive effects on a person’s physical health as well as mental. The security and commitment felt in a loving relationship are shown to reduce stress by stunting the production of cortisol, the body’s stress- inducing hormone. Less stress means lower blood pressure, a healthier heart, and a lower risk of stroke, especially in men.
Healthier Immune Systems
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that calm, happy people can fight common colds and the flu more easily than
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