Value of Guides
Photo by Jens Johnsson

Value of Guides

Think about some of the most difficult decisions you’ve made in your life. From the adolescent years where you’re just starting to better understand the world and yourself, to embarking into adulthood where you’re still doing pretty much the same thing, but usually with better decision making skills and context about yourself and what you value. When those more complex or difficult decisions are presented, have you ever reached out to a friend, mentor, parent, or someone you deem knowledgeable in that arena? Have you opted to avoid reaching out to someone in hopes you can figure out a solution only to carry some future regret about going at it alone?

This is where finding a guide comes into the equation. For some, we enjoy the prospect of having someone help us determine what we feel is the best decision about important matters, and help alleviate some of the fear of the unknown, especially in highly technical areas (why a good CPA or Surgeon is worth their weight in gold). For others, there are many reasons why we may opt out of collaborating with someone to help, and sometimes things go well, and other times not so much.?

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A good analogy for us east coasters here in Virginia would be deciding to head out west for an Elk hunting trip. If we boil it down to 2 main decisions between embarking on the journey to public lands and learning as much as we can independently before heading out, and hiring a guide service who can help navigate public lands as well as access to private lands. The first option for a beginner can be quite the daunting task and can require a much longer period of time to go from complete novice to average, likely sprinkled with more mistakes along the way. There’s something to be said about plowing your own road and learning from these mistakes, but I think most of us may agree that there are certainly some pros to avoiding as many beginner mistakes as possible. Working with a skilled guide can provide access to a knowledge base that otherwise wouldn’t be available to you, in the field training, and much better systems to navigate what can be hundreds of thousands of acres. The success rates for guided hunts is substantially better, and likely are much more enjoyable for someone just getting started. Increasing your success rates early will generally help you stay engaged, and to keep learning how to become better at the craft.?

Guides exist in almost every facet of our lives. Whether it’s granddad passing along his family chicken bbq sauce, hiring an attorney to craft your Will, or a friend taking you outdoors to learn how to hunt/fish, we lean on others to help us become better versions of ourselves. We get to grow our skills and refine our values over time.?

I try to take this approach with learning anything new that I know there’s a benefit to connecting with someone who enjoys helping others learn. I take this approach with the great folks I get to serve professionally and it’s fun to be a part of the learning process and strive to increase our success rates in everything we do together. How are you a guide for people in your life and think about who are some of your guides as you navigate life?

Mike Garrison

Life is better with a Guide. Special Needs Parent and Fanatic Fly Fisherman. Helping business owners love their business and their life through value acceleration

2 年

Tyler L. Conley CFP? great blog. In my experience, the choice to not use a guide (at least initially) is often the result of never using a great one before. Great guides, thinking of Tom Sadler of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing for example, dramatically shorten the curve of learning and expertise acquisition.

Matthew Gray, CFP?

Avid disc golfer, forensics nerd (not about dead bodies) and hockey fan. I'm a financial planner because I'm too small and slow to play pro football.

2 年

Too often I try to do things without consulting a guide. The results aren't optimal to say the least.

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