On The Art of Enough
In early 2024, after 25 years in financial services, I stepped away from a thriving business to explore a deeper calling. Not because something was wrong, but because something was right.
Beyond the Spreadsheets
I've always loved the technical side of financial planning. The clean logic of investment strategies. The satisfaction of a well-crafted financial plan.
But over time, I began to see that behind every portfolio was a human story. The numbers were just one chapter.
A successful entrepreneur who couldn't enjoy her wealth. A couple with more than enough for retirement who couldn't stop working. A high-earner trapped in a soul-crushing job because he couldn't imagine living on less.
The most powerful conversations weren't about asset allocation or tax efficiency. They were about meaning, purpose, and what makes a life truly rich.
The Question That Changed Everything
Financial planning answers "how much?" But I discovered people's deepest struggles revolve around a different question: "what's enough?"
In a world obsessed with more - more money, more stuff, more status - the concept of "enough" feels revolutionary. Yet defining your personal "enough" creates a freedom that endless accumulation never can.
I watched clients who reached their financial targets but kept moving the goalposts, perpetually postponing satisfaction. And others who, with modest resources but clearer boundaries around "enough," experienced genuine financial peace.
A Natural Evolution
Coaching wasn't a career change but an evolution. The skills I'd developed over decades - deep listening, strategic thinking, helping people align resources with values - were never just about money.
What Money Taught Me About Life
The most valuable lessons from my career:
The wealthiest people aren't those with the most money, but those who've mastered contentment
Financial freedom isn't just having enough to do what you want - it's knowing what "enough" looks like for you
Many reach their financial "summit" only to discover they've been climbing the wrong mountain
The most valuable currency isn't pounds or dollars, but time and attention
The Freedom to Expand
Now, I help people design lives that reflect their authentic values. The business I helped build, New World, continues to flourish under my former partner. What I do now perfectly complements the great work New World does - they handle the technical excellence of financial planning while I explore the emotional and psychological dimensions of money and life. My path evolved not away from, but alongside their important work.
To anyone feeling constrained by their profession: sometimes your expertise isn't meant to confine you - it's meant to launch you into something larger.
Our culture celebrates endless growth. But there's profound wisdom in recognising when you have enough - enough money, enough success, enough validation - to step into the next chapter of your story.
After all, isn't life too short to stay within the lines, but too long to live without purpose?
If this perspective resonates, watch for my upcoming book "The Conscious Currency" where I explore our relationship with money as both a tool and an energy.
