Dave's Story

It was the year 2000 or "Y2K" when we were all scared that the world's computers were going to crash and civilization as we knew it would end.

My world was not coming to an end, but it seemed at a standstill.

I was 30, had been working in a corporate job for eight years and was frustrated. I was fed up with the office politics, the lack of flexibility of and control over my schedule, and the amount of time my job took me away from my family.

It was during this period at I expended two defining moments.

The first occurred while I was still on the fast-track for advancement. I was one of two final candidates for a major promotion. It would be a significant pay raise; however, it would also mean more travel, more hours, more politics, and more stress. I came home and explained the opportunity to my wife Stacy, then added, "The only downside is I have the potential to absolutely hate this job."

She immediately replied, "Then why even consider it?"

She saw clearly that, while the job would give us more money, it would also give us less of the things that were most important to us - a calm family life, time together as a couple, and control of our "free" time.

The next day I removed my name from consideration and effectively removed myself from the fast track.

Stacy and I started discussing how to get more of the things we really wanted in life. We decided pretty quickly that working in a corporate job wasn't the way.

My first attempt in our "Escape from Corporate" plan was to take my love of writing and try my hand at becoming a children's book writer. However, after two years of unfocused effort, and a total of $25 in revenue, I started questioning the haphazard manner I was pursuing this goal.

The second defining moment occurred during this time of questioning. One night I turned to Stacy and said, "I don't want to be sitting in this exact same spot having this exact same conversation when we are 40." It was a sobering thought and made us realized that we needed to take a different approach.

This led to philosophical discussions about how to get more fulfillment from our careers along with the money we needed to support ourselves.

I knew even then that I feel most fulfilled when I am helping others. For some time I had been helping family members and friends with their finances and investment strategies and I always enjoyed my time spent on this.

I also knew from my responsibilities as a corporate spokesperson on technical matters, that I am skilled at explaining complex technical subjects in an easy to understand manner.

Plus, there were some other aspects of my corporate job which I enjoyed, such as working with and analyzing data and brainstorming creative solutions to problems.

The insights from our discussions led me to enroll in an online program to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. I completed the coursework and passed the exam in 2007. After a few years of interning with another planner, in 2010 I opened my own financial planning practice, Rowan Financial LLC, and began helping people with their personal finances.

As my business grew, I started studying the lives and work of successful entrepreneurs and I signed up to work with a couple of business coaches. I knew that the more successful I could make my business, the more people I could help.

As I worked with more clients and continued my studies, I got even clearer on my purpose.

Stacy and I realized that we love encouraging our friends and family to reach for their dream lives. And with my financial planning clients, I found that once we had the standard topics covered, our conversations often turned to how I could help them create the financial foundation for building the life of their dreams. This is the part of my new career that I enjoy the most!

Twelve years have passed since I turned down the job I had the "potential to hate" and I am so grateful for Stacy's insight into that decision.

I now have a thriving financial planning business, I am in the process of transitioning out of my corporate job, and, most importantly, my actual life looks remarkably like the life Stacy and I dreamt about. My days are more fulfilling, I am living my life with purpose, and I am enjoying quality time with my family.

Using what we learned through our own experiences and studies, together Stacy and I opened our coaching business AccelerateYourDreamLife.com. Our business is dedicated to helping people accelerate their own journey and transition from the life they currently have to the life of their dreams.

If you are tired of waiting for "someday" and are ready to love your life, contact me to see if I am the right person to support you in getting started TODAY.