Exercise has always been a challenge for me. I knew I was supposed to do it, but I never got as much out of it as I felt I should. I prefer hitting the mountains to hitting the gym. I love gliding through fresh powder and tall trees on my skis or flying down a single-track trail on my bike. But those things take the kind of time I stopped having as my business grew and my work schedule became more demanding in recent years.

As a result, my health and fitness experienced a bear market––even a black swan event. I tried fitting in workouts here and there. But amidst growing a company, meeting shareholders’ expectations and being a good husband and father, I couldn’t squeeze any results out of the gym. The truth? I was fixated on a small piece of the puzzle and lacked the knowledge and experience I needed to turn things around.

Facing the Facts and Figures

I knew a qualified personal trainer could deliver education and accountability. But I couldn’t bring myself to spend money on something that seemed so extravagant. When I finally got desperate and gave it a try, I felt silly for not doing it sooner. My trainer took an objective look at my big picture and built me my own master plan. In a few months I saw results far beyond what I ever could have achieved alone.

I exercised smarter. Ate better. Slept better. Lost weight, fat and stress. Increased energy and strength. Got better at my business, not to mention life with my wife and kids. All by going from a small-scale, half-baked personal attempt to a full-fledged, expert-level master plan.

The Big Picture of Financial Health

Most of my clients over the years have come to me focused on a small slice of their financial situation. Sure, tackling their bigger issues costs more time and money. It also takes experience and knowledge they don’t likely have. Still, they fixate on what’s in front of them and figure the rest will fall into place.

But just as exercise alone doesn’t guarantee holistic physical health, life insurance, 401(k)s, 529s and even paying down debt don’t ensure overall financial health. And someone with an unhealthy relationship with money needs professional help no matter how much they earn. “Fixing things” on their own most often leads to below-average results. The answers they need demand expertise, time, and energy they just don’t have. Fortunately, you do.

A Holistic Approach, Thanks to You

As you know well, financial health involves a seemingly endless series of thoughtful considerations and decisions that lead to more favorable results on all financial fronts. The questions may keep coming as the wealth grows. But the professional planning is well worth the investment, and adds up to faster growth in net worth, more liquidity, less stress, and greater financial freedom.

Even if you focus on a client’s most urgent need first, never sacrifice the broader view along the way. They may not yet know that fixing the metaphorical spare tire around their financial midsection isn’t about the same old number crunches they’ve been doing on their own. But they know something isn’t right. And they trust you to help them fix it. Big-picture thinking helps us all sleep better at night.