A smart CPA, Wade Kozich, once gave me invaluable advice.
When I follow his advice, I prosper. When I ignore his advice, I suffer.
Here’s the advice
“Spend the first hour of every day working for yourself.”
As Wade explained, you arrive at your desk every day to find a billable hour. Because you are a professional, you want to help that client and you want to convert that hour into billings. So you do. Then there is another hour…and another…and another. By the end of the day, you have sold all your time to others. Over time, there is nothing left of you.
So, to take Wade’s advice, spend the first hour of every day working for yourself. This could be networking and developing your business or career. Or self-improvement through reading or the independent study of a subject of interest.
Otherwise, your helpful nature and your desire to serve clients might drain you of all your opportunities for growth. (Of course, “clients” can mean the people you serve: customers, bosses, family, lovers.)
Of course, in the perfect world, your client work would lead you to the most desirable personal growth. Do you live in that perfect world? Do you want your life’s journey to be solely the result of walking with your clients? Will your clients find you increasingly valuable, if that’s your strategy for growth? (Or do they rely on you to have other interests, experiences and insights?)