Welcome to my first monthly column post. I have always loved September…the beginning of a new school year, new beginnings, and the anticipation of what could be. Nothing personifies to me potential as much as the month of September.

So a couple of things to think about this month:

Believe it or not, September is the big push month. It’s the month when everyone comes back from vacation reinvigorated, it’s the month before the last quarter of the year. People want to start winding down the year: they’re starting to get distracted with the next year’s budget and year end holiday parties but you know what the secret is to a great 2017? Laying the groundwork for the 1st qtr deliverables during the fourth quarter of 2016, the prior year .

I know, people want to wait till January to start working on next year’s goals. The last thing they want is to take on something new. Everyone’s going on vacation again. You want to end the year with a tidy bow. But if you wait till January to get started, you’re going to be late. You won’t have any accomplishments to show until end of Q1 or Q2. That’s a long time to have pass without any real wins.

In September, I like to mobilize the team to think about what we want to have done by January…and what needs to be done now to make those dates. You don’t slow down just because you’re approaching year end: you keep the foot on the gas.  that’s how you ensure a great start to next year. My teams felt the benefit of putting points on the board early on…it just let us breathe a little easier.

On another note, someone mentioned to me being a little concerned about her son, who was finding his way. My advice is the same regardless of your age: you want to find out what you love AND what you’re good at it. Too often, it’s one but not the other. (I hate the graduation advice “Do what you love”…what if you can’t pay the phone bill?)

I always mention to folks how I was a history major at Penn (thought I might become a lawyer) and somehow ended up with a career in financial services which surprises a lot of folks.  They think senior people have a plan. No plan.

What I realized in my journey is that I like to come up with my conclusions based on facts, put forward an argument, and persuade others. I like to tell stories. I’m comfortable with environments where the answer is not apparent. (Hence history, not accounting as my major).  Here’s an interesting article titled “Good News, Liberal-Arts Majors: You Do Just Fine”. Yes, right off the bat more technical majors make more. But once you reach peak earning periods of 56-60, it tends to normalize. More importantly, the study shows that if you are an ultrahigh achiever…it doesn’t matter what you study (a philosophy major at $3.46 million!) So figure out what you love and what you’re good at.

Last note:  the power of cash to make you happy. In my blog, I’ve talked about the importance of cash for Plan b, contingency, cushion, and peace of mind. A study that recently came out found that when it came to happiness, a bank balance may be more important than overall wealth. It makes people feel more financially secure. If that’s true for you, commit to it. One rule I use when I feel like I’ve been spending too much (sort of like dieting after Thanksgiving) is “If I already have one of these that I can use, I won’t buy another new one.”

See you next month!