September 2023

Thinking of my friend and life/business coach Kathy Eppley today on her birthday (Sept. 8th). She left us unexpectedly 4 years ago.

As often is the case, when a person we treasure from our past comes up in memory, our thoughts go to moments shared, things said, and lessons learned. 

Kathy was fond of repeating, “Your ego is not your amigo”; it’s a crucial concept to understand when navigating life’s challenges. Your ego can often lead you astray, causing unnecessary conflicts, clouding your judgment, and preventing personal growth. It’s that inner voice that constantly seeks validation and can make you overly defensive or competitive. Embracing humility and self-awareness allows you to tame your ego and build more meaningful connections with others. When you realize that your ego is not your true friend but rather a potential adversary, you can embark on a journey of self-improvement and genuine human connection, leading to a more harmonious and fulfilling life.

Kathy would remind us that ego and confidence are two distinct psychological concepts.

The ego is responsible for a person’s sense of self and self-esteem. It can refer to an inflated sense of self-importance, arrogance, and a need for validation and superiority over others. An overactive ego can lead to self-centeredness and a lack of empathy. Ego can sometimes cloud one’s self-awareness, making it difficult to acknowledge faults or limitations.

Confidence reflects a realistic and secure self-assessment of one’s abilities and worth. Confidence often coexists with self-awareness. Confident individuals can recognize their strengths and weaknesses and are more likely to seek self-improvement.

She reminded us how important it is to strike a balance between self-assurance and humility, fostering confidence while keeping ego in check.

Thanks, Kathy, for this lesson amongst many others. I miss you.

Till Next Month,

Derek, Natalie, Mo & Arwin

PS: Speaking of EGO, prop yours up in the most acceptable way, with photos that do you justice and capture this moment in time. Be sure to sign up and be included in our Client Photo Day on October 8th! See below for more details, and SEE YOU THERE!

Please join us for our annual PHOTO PARTY where you can get your individual, couple, or family photos taken by Monica May Design, just in time for the holiday cards. Anthony’s cookies and bottled water! Pets welcome!

Please RSVP and reserve your time for a photo here including the # of people in your party. We will then follow up with a waiver required by MMD. Email us if the time slot you want is booked.

We’d love to see you!

Date: October 8, 2023

Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

* More than 5,000 hedge fund managers, cryptocurrency traders, and other Americans have moved to Puerto Rico over the last 10 years to enroll in a program that lets them avoid paying federal income tax and no taxes at all on dividend, interest, and capital gains income. To qualify, they must spend at least 183 days a year in Puerto Rico, and income from the mainland is still subject to federal taxes. (When some pay less-or nothing-the rest of us have to foot the bill!)

* The average homeowner in the US stays in their home for about 13 years: If we are home-buying-age adults for roughly 40-50 years, that’s about 3-4 homes in a lifetime. Your first home is almost never your forever home.

* A plan to build a 50,000-acre walkable utopian urban oasis in the wind-swept hills of Northern California’s Solano County now has a splashy website, which aims to tout the controversial project’s benefits and win over wary locals. It will be interesting to watch how this plan a privately funded effort to boost housing inventory dramatically – will fare.  Will it proceed as planned and be successfully executed?  Or will NIMBY-driven opposition prevent it from happening? Often NIMBY-ism -usually self-serving or when planning boards/zoning do not communicate clearly with one another and structure intelligent, practical plans – is the #1 cause for a lack of more affordable housing options.