As we come out of the pandemic and the world begins to reopen, I’m encouraged to see our clients pursue life-enhancing hobbies and passions: traveling, buying mountain property, relocating to their favorite places, scheduling vacations, reuniting with their families, etc.

Life is short. That’s what we’ve remembered as we emerge from the pandemic.

We realize it’s time to do the things we love to do.

Yes, we’re here at Bradley Wealth to improve your bottom line — every day — and to make sure your financial life (and future) is intact, but we also want to support you in building memories and living your True Wealth: those things money can’t buy, and death can’t take away.

I’m a wealth advisor because one of my passions is to ensure you’re able to protect your loved ones. And I love seeing our clients living large, going places, and doing things.

The pandemic has helped me better understand the life-changing impact of my other passions: yoga, golf, and SCUBA diving.

Yoga

I’ve practiced yoga for more than a decade and have grown to love it, mainly because training the mind for silence requires the same enthusiasm and conviction as training the body. And just like exercise, practice and consistency deliver a desired result.

When I started doing Bikkurim yoga in 2009, while working through a difficult time, my only plan was to shrink my arse and be lean. I didn’t plan or expect to learn a skill that would prepare my mind and body for a lifetime of meditation. But that’s exactly what happened. As it turns out, this is truly what the practice of yoga is all about. 

I’ve often said if I had to pick one exercise for the rest of my days, it would hands-down be yoga. As I’ve aged, I’ve trained and engaged my body to hold postures, improve balance, tighten muscles, and create extreme focus and attention to what I’m doing. This level of concentration, in the midst of activity, is exactly what impacted my desire to keep going and make yoga a practice for life.

I experience a peace and exhilaration from building poses and stretching my body in ways I never thought possible. Most importantly, yoga has improved both my mental and physical health, which are both needed to destress from my world as an advisor. Practicing yoga has brought me tremendous joy and openness beyond any other workout (and believe me, I’ve tried them all!) and I’m deeply grateful.

Golf

After playing golf for 45+ years, I love this game more than ever. But golf is more than just a game, it’s a metaphor for my life and a path to self-mastery. How I play is how I live my life, run my business, show up in my relationships, deal with pressure, conquer fears, and move through challenges.

Etiquette on the golf course is also the “social skills” needed in life. The rules around golf are the structure we need to be more spontaneous, more creative, and have more fun. Being patient, tolerant, not giving advice, and not being controlling or critical – these behaviors offer grace, kindness, positive reinforcement, and encouragement, even if we are in competition.

I didn’t see life or golf this way, however, until the pandemic, when I became re-energized about the game. Each new round I play shows me the mirror into myself and my life, which allows me the opportunity to grow. Through this game, I’m learning to become a better creator of my reality and person. 

Just like with yoga, I am learning to master my body, mind, and emotions, bringing me into harmony with myself and life. In the end, I have found that when I apply what works on the golf course to my life, I am happier, more fulfilled, and a much better person to be around. Thanks to golf, I avoid negative thoughts and self-doubt and instead cultivate a “can-do” attitude with positive thoughts resulting in success, not failure. 

SCUBA Diving

I chose to get SCUBA certified because I absolutely love the ocean and see it as a truly magical place! As soon as you submerge, your eyes gain access to a whole new dimension filled with marine life and biodiversity: bright coral reefs, flashy invertebrates, curious marine mammals, and an unbelievable array of colorful fish. 

Absolute freedom. That’s what I remember feeling when I became SCUBA certified in the Grand Bahamas more than 15 years ago. Diving frees you from gravity and makes you feel weightless, as if you’re flying. During my first few dives I felt like an astronaut exploring a whole new planet. Every dive has been totally unique, but the one thing that never changes is the incredible peacefulness I get from this passion of mine: being an underwater explorer. 

Diving allows me to completely tune out the world — no cell phone, no deadlines, no meetings — just me becoming one with earth’s oldest creatures. It’s exciting to think that the ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface and yet remains one of the planet’s last undiscovered frontiers. 

My greatest desire is to continue exploring (both under and above waves) some of the planet’s most exotic destinations, like Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, and the Maldives. Diving gives me a chance to make new friends and dive with clients. The dive community is among the friendliest in the world, and we are now planning our first ever BW dive trip! 

Our hobbies and passions can alter our lives in ways we don’t anticipate. I’m grateful to have had this past year to discover just what yoga, golf, and diving mean to me, and how they’ve enriched my life with Brooklyn, my fiancé.  

Which reminds me, another great passion is surrounding myself with nurturing, positive people, like Brooklyn, you, and other clients. Life is too short. It’s time to be with the people we love and do the things we love to do. As our world begins to open up, we’ll be able to gather more, travel farther, dream bigger, and pursue our favorite hobbies.

I hope you connect with your passions and your loved ones, do what you love to do, and find fulfillment along the way.