There’s a big difference between asking yourself a question and someone else asking you the very same question directly. It hits different.
Why?
Because it forces you to think harder.
By saying your answer out loud, rather than just thinking it in your head, you’re forced to go deeper.
Too often, when we’re just thinking to ourselves, our thoughts remain surface level. We don’t question them enough. We don’t keep poking and prodding to see what’s really true and what’s not. We don’t ask why nearly enough times.
Sometimes the moment we say something out loud, we realize just how little thought we’ve truly given it. In your head it seemed true enough. But out in the open it doesn’t stand up.
This is part of what’s so valuable about working with an advisor, or a therapist or coach or mentor for that matter.
You might think you already know what you want. You might have endless ideas about how to go about improving your finances or saving for the future.
But have you talked to anyone about those ideas? Has anyone helped you dig deeper into what you really want your future to look like? How you really want to spend your time? How much money you might actually need to have invested to make that vision happen?
Asking yourself these questions is a good place to start, but the people I work with get so much value from actually talking about these things with another human being.
It helps you peel back the layers and see what’s underneath. It helps uncover your blindspots and the holes in your plan. It makes everything more concrete.
And that, in turn, helps give you the confidence and clarity you need to move forward.