My Purpose is to Help You Help Yourself

"To be a light to oneself is not to follow the light of another, however reasonable, logical, historical, and however convincing." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

I recently received a message from a reader who connected with me on my facebook page.  In this message, he asked a few questions, which centered around the same idea:  He was interested in my helping with "personal coaching, focusing on healthy life goals" and in reading more of my "writings on life, meaning and wealth in the context of age."

I am flattered by this reader's interest in my guidance and in my writing but I believe the greatest value of someone in my position is to help others help themselves.  To paraphrase a psychologist friend of mine, "My goal is to counsel myself out of a job," which is to say that, if someone needs my guidance, I offer it in such a way that this person will eventually not need me. 

This is somewhat parallel to my philosophy as a parent to two young children: I always want to be a presence in their (and my readers') lives to some degree, but this presence evolves from direct nurturing to a periodic source of reflective and introspective thought so that they (you) may lead an independent and authentic life.

I want readers to continue reading this blog but hopefully the words and themes help you help yourselves.

"Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for." ~ Viktor Frankl

To be authentic and to be present unto oneself (and to find financial success) one must form their own philosophy.  From this philosophy, all plans, including financial, will emerge.  Consider this passage from one of my forthcoming book projects:

This book does not intentionally teach philosophy, per se, especially not on an academic or scholarly level, but rather leads the reader to a unique philosophy of life – a philosophy from which life (and prudent financial) decisions can be made. Put simply, the pursuit of meaning and the definition of your purpose and the subsequent formation of your philosophy enables the creation of your life plan. From this life plan, your actions (financial and otherwise) will emanate:

Your Purpose ---> Life Philosophy ---> Life Plans ---> Actions

Like life, your philosophy and plans are constantly evolving; and the study and practice of philosophy, especially existential philosophy, creates a higher level of awareness of this evolution and actually helps guide, form, and enable its most ideal course—the path to a meaningful existence—something that money, material wealth, and social status can not buy, but can become aids in its pursuit. In other words, The Financial Philosopher is not a term describing your humble author and it is not only the name of a book; the financial philosopher is a process and a progression; and it is you.

In summary, the answers to the timeless, life questions--"Who Am I?" and "What is my purpose?" and "What is the purpose of my money?"--are found by ongoing reflection and introspection; the answers to the questions of life are in the questions themselves and this is where philosophy (and this blog) accomplishes its purpose.  By my asking questions, you are thus led to ask your own questions and to discover your own answers.

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Related:

Stop Looking for a List of Things to Do

The De-Construction of Social Conventions & The Unlearning Process

Who Am I? Part I: Emotional Intelligence

Comments

[greg perry]

Nicely done Kent. The reader's question shows you how deeply you are connecting with people, and what they, no, we want from you. Your post hands it back respectfully, elegantly even.

I'm reading a little book by David Reynolds called Constructive Living. He favors action over intention and reflection, but not in those familiar hyper-performance-human-potential terms. There's a calmness here. This line got to me: For all my dreams, I am what I do.

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Greg:

Thanks for the generous compliments. I enjoy helping others help themselves. In other position would be misleading.

I'll have to look at Constructive Living.

Thanks again.

Cheers...

Kent

[PaulEPuckett]

Good Morning Kent,

I discovered your blog from your guest post at Get Rich Slowly. I'm looking forward to your book, which evidently espouses a philosophy similar to mine.

My book addresses investor fears at the investor level. No product or service will help an investor overcome their fears. They must look within, at their own values and meaning.

If you'd like a complimentary copy, I would love to get your thoughts (although as a writer, I know your time is pressed with your own writing). It's available in paperback, kindle, and nook. Let me know your preferred format and I'll get one to you!

Best,

Paul Puckett

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Paul:

Yes, I would like a copy of your book. I don't have an e-reader. Do you have a PDF version you could email?

If so, here's the address:
knthune[at]yahoo[dot]com

Thanks!