Click here to listen to Episode 40
In the trenches
Rise and shine 6er,
Finding a clear sense of mission and purpose changes everything. It serves as a compass to the kind of life we want to live by defining our core values and asking ourselves every day, “Did my actions align with my purpose today?”
In today’s busy world, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind. But discovering your life’s true mission is more than just a pipe dream. If you work hard enough to keep your finances healthy, the wealth you’ve built becomes a tool that will assist you in your life’s mission and you will be able to enjoy a much better, happier, and more fulfilling life. You can be a purpose-driven, mission-oriented individual who also enjoys financial freedom and stability.
It is disheartening to see the latest survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) where they found that 77% of service members have financial worries, and more than half (57%) are worried about the potential loss of income and job security.
Aligning your sense of purpose and mission with financial planning can be achieved. You can defend yourself against predatory lenders, bad investments, and needless debt. You can protect yourself and your family and get the most out of the government benefits you’ve earned. Learning how to handle your finances and manage your wealth is going to save you a lot of inconvenience and difficulty, which can help you lead a more fulfilling life. So don’t be afraid to ask financial questions and be vigilant about protecting your assets because it is key to your quality of life.
Let’s make it happen!
The INSUM
Intelligence summary of insights from this week’s podcast
Our purpose is why we do things, and our mission is what we do. Your mission is the guiding force that will help you achieve and follow the purpose. Finding your life’s purpose is, in a way, a lot like finding yourself. It is not achieved overnight, and it forces you to ask internal questions such as, “What do I really want?”, “What makes me happy?”, or “What is it that gives me peace of mind?”
In this week’s episode of Got Your Six podcast, we have Kaj Larsen, a US Navy SEAL with a master’s degree in Harvard University for Public Policy Analysis, an award-winning journalist, and part of the Founding Team at Guild Financial, an investment platform inspiring the military community to secure financial freedom through financial training and education.
Kaj wore many hats throughout his career, and he isn’t afraid to be a beginner. Once he sets his eyes on a mission, his commitment to excellence is unwavering, and his perseverance is unshakeable. Kaj gave us three actionable lessons:
1. Be driven by mission and commit to excellence.
Being mission-driven means you live your life in pursuit of your purpose. It is making daily choices that align with your values as well as seeking to contribute to the community they belong to. This is not always an easy path but it is always a worthy pursuit.
Being mission-driven also requires commitment to excellence. It means you’re passionate and you consistently work hard to achieve your goals. It is the first step to having continuous improvement.
2. Accept new challenges and be flexible.
Whether we like it or not, it is really the tough times that stimulate personal growth in us in a way that good times don’t. Difficult challenges oftentimes bring opportunities for major breakthroughs. As we learn to navigate our way through the obstacles, we quickly learn that sometimes we need to adapt to survive, to bend a little so we don’t break. Learning from this lays a solid foundation for success.
3. Build resiliency into systems within the community and with individuals.
There will always come a time when life will bog you down and kick you to the curb. This is why you need to develop resiliency and build it within a system. Why? Because we don’t always rise to the level of our expectations but we always fall to the level of our systems.
Having resilient systems built within the community and within us as individuals strengthens our capacity, individually and as a whole, to move forward and quickly recover from failures.
The reality is, one of the most effective ways to build resiliency from future setbacks is financial readiness. It’s hard to be mission-ready when your mind is worried about debts, lack of savings, and other financial insecurities.
Here at Got Your Six, we believe that becoming the best version of ourselves also means we have financial freedom and stability that will enable us to live the best life possible for ourselves, our family, and the community.
That said, I am urging you to check out this week’s episode with Kaj Larsen as he tackles in detail what Guild is all about and how it is helping to spread financial literacy within the military community. It is high-time we gather enough tailwind support for the cause of addressing financial readiness. Feel free to share the newsletter because we don’t leave our battle buddies behind.