Does Your Estate Planner Take an Ice Cold Shower Every Morning?

It’s 4:30 am and my feet would rather stay tucked warmly in my bed. But I made a commitment somewhere around the time when most Americans were focused on fireworks in July, 2018. So now my mind steps in and decides FOR ME and the clients I am committed to instead. So the day looks something like this:

4:30 Cold Shower

4:45 Healthy Breakfast

5:15 Set my day

6:15 Respond to E-mails

7:15 Ready for the external world, bring it on baby!

I recently listened to the audio book from Aubrey Marcus, ‘Own the Day, Own Your Life’. This new guide coupled with the guidance of Tony Robbins and Tim Ferris has completely changed my life, which is why everyday for me now begins with a frigid shower between 4:30 and 5:30 am.  

Is it enjoyable? Not exactly! However, the rewards of boosted immunities, improved circulation and muscle recovery time coupled with the benefits of creating daily ritual or a ‘habit loop’ are invaluable. And here are a few more benefits (there are more than 15), some of which I was really drawn too. Who doesn’t want help losing weight, better skin and great hair?

• Increases Alertness
• Refines Hair and Skin
• Improves Immunity and Circulation
• Stimulates Weight Loss
• Speeds Up Muscle Soreness and Recovery
• Eases Stress
• Relieves Depression

I was originally drawn to it because I heard about hormesis. Hormesis is the benefit such as improved health, stress tolerance, growth or longevity as a result of exposure to low doses of something that could be toxic or lethal if given at a higher dose, such as water at an extreme cold temperature. Harnessing in a deliberate and systematic way increases resilience. Apparently, I am not the only adopter of this practice. Check out instagram for the #coldshowerbenefits and you discover thousands of fans.

I knew that “shocking my system” daily would help me form other habits that would increase my  productivity. And I had scientific proof for increasing my ability to improve habit formation from the science behind ‘the habit loop’ or the emergence of ‘cue, routine, reward’ and include:

The Cue = The problem

The Routine = Going to work

The Reward =  Results

Further, In the words of Gretchen Rubin, “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” The first five hours of my days are virtually the same, from the cold shower to breakfast to email responses – it gives me greater focus, energy and the ability to prioritize my daily activities.

Similar to my cold shower regimen, successful estate planning isn’t a one-and-done deal.  It requires a disciplined, systematic, and committed habit developed over time. I am committed to providing a strong, estate plan built from established processes refined over the last decade.  At Wood & Associates I have built a firm where we capitalize on our success and learn from our mistakes. Nothing is left to chance. Every part of our process is designed to give our clients the greatest possible benefit for lifelong benefit.

I created a habit loop of long-term financial success for all of our clients. Utilizing the habit loop ensures that I stay connected to our clients. My commitment to clarity of our client’s purpose and goals is the compass that creates a roadmap for success and enables us to make adjustments along the journey.

The Habit

I designed the consigliere model to the estate planning practice to create the HABIT in my clients to call me first, WHENEVER they have a question or concern about ANYTHING in the world of Law, Planning, Tax, or Asset Protection.

The Cue

A problem arises or our clients have an issue or area of concern. They call our office and we do the work to uncover the critical elements and we move into a solution. We bring clarity to the situation and a solution is revealed which is our reward. This repeated process or habit loop leads to success for our clients, which means success for us.

The Process

Our Estate Planning process is also scripted to create success and value. Nothing is left to chance. Our process is based upon trial and error of the best and worst engagements over almost 10 years in private practice discussing death, dying, legacy, inheritance, end of life choices and disability.

My morning routine helps with focus and clarity. Trust me, you can not emerge groggy and confused after blasting yourself with 45 degree water every morning. Energy that I didn’t even know was possible emerges and I have freedom to think about what is really important rather than the mundane tasks which use to preoccupy my thoughts.

Similarly my estate planning process helps my clients by providing:

• Clarity of purpose
• Carefully guided, productive discussions
• A simple system for making difficult choices
• A follow up process that ensures the plans we crafted achieve the expected goals

You may not be inspired to take cold showers; however, I hope you are inspired to embrace a simple approach to all important legal aspects in your life and business.

Whether your goal is to leave an inheritance, make end-of-life choices, prepare for disability or any other estate-planning matter, I know our knowledge in estate planning will lay out a trackable path for your long term success.