Day 82: Timothy Brown
“… it lets me start to look at it from those two perspectives. You know, maybe “This is my idea, this is their idea. Look at how well theirs is working.” And learn something new on the one hand. On the other hand, understand how they do it the way they do it, and what the nuances are that you didn’t know at first. That provides that depth of background and knowledge.”
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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Timothy, for agreeing to be part of this project, and before we go into the questions, can you please introduce yourself?
Timothy Brown: Yes, I’m Timothy Brown. I live in Los Angeles. I’m in the wealth management business.
Toni: Okay. Timothy, when you think about that word inspiration, who do you think you inspire, and how do you go about that?
Timothy: I think that I inspire my clients and the people that I help with their money situations. There’s a challenge for everybody of the power of money. My education and background in doing simple, common sense communication and asking them questions lets them kind of come to terms with what the truth is or what’s going on with them and their money and adjust their behavior for success.
It’s just like anything else. Lead the horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. People have to have that place where they’re inspired to change. They have to come to that on their own to move them.
And so, that’s part of what I do is educate them on whatever the process is to give them that feeling that they’ve got the situation moving in a direction that’s comfortable and proper for them.
Toni: Now, when you go through this inspiration to move people in a good place with their money — because the comment that you made as far as there’s a challenge to knowing the power of money — can you just take a moment and explain that just a little bit for me?
Timothy: Yeah. I hope I answer your question, but the idea is that you use, again, common sense style communication, and that is that you ask them.
For example, you know, if they were looking down the road for three years, and we’re having the conversation again, what would have had to have happened so that they would feel like they’ve had success?
Ask them questions like that so you get a vision of what they’re looking for in life and a vision of what’s important on their value side. And then reflect that back to them in a way that, you know, now they’ve got their own personal definition of who they are and where they’re going and why they’re making decisions to get them there.
Toni: It’s interesting, I just wrote down money mirror – that you’re a money mirror.
Timothy: Oh yeah. You just provide exactly … is that they’re just looking … the way I look at it is they’re looking for me to do for them what they would do for themselves given my education and background. I hope I said that in English.
They are looking for somebody they can identify with that knows where to get the answers and knows how to apply their perspective in a way that serves them best. I think that is what folks are looking for.
Toni: Absolutely, and I think that was in perfect English. Now, when you’re doing this type of work with others, how do you think, then, that once they’re inspired, how does it help them explore their potential?
Timothy: Well, it gives some purpose to their potential.
Let me say it this way. I use the word retirement success. That’s kind of where I’m looking and focusing and moving them towards. Once they get an idea of what’s required, what the truth is of their lifestyle and where it’s gotten them so far and what adjustments they need to get it to the place that they want it in order to work for them, then it brings a whole different purpose to what they’re doing and the decisions they make.
It’s their purpose. It’s self-defined purpose; and that’s a big change. So that’s part of my job is to help them to define that. I call it the personal constitution. This is who I am, this is what I believe in, this is the kind of things that I’d like to see happen in my life. And then you take it and then have someone work on those with them.
Toni: Do you ever find that that that personal constitution is different when you start with a client, it ends up different when you go through that work with them, that it changes?
Timothy: Oh, sure. I think that particularly in the upfront work that I do with people, really you get to find what the truth is by their behavior.
Saying it is one thing, but being inspired, that’s about change. You’re inspired to change and that’s what they’re … so you have to give them the tools to do that. And usually what people look for when they work with someone like me — going back to the mirror — is that they’re really looking for somebody to take care of them.
It’s their money. They have to assign it, they have to position it, but they need someone to put them in the position to do that. You can see them start to change and see how they respond to their need to interact and to actually change their approach and their involvement level.
Toni: So when you think about the word inspiration, what inspires you? What do you need to be inspired?
Timothy: I need new ideas, that’s for sure. To keep with the notion that you only know a little is a good thing for me. It serves me well in that I’m always looking for inspiration, looking for new ideas. I just kind of have that part of me that’s doing that. Sometimes that’s a very good idea and productive, and it’s also something that requires some balance.
Toni: And so where do you go for those new ideas?
Timothy: I go for … I’m in search all the time for those new ideas in two … I think I would say two basic, and not novel, but I look to the medias for that in all different formats. So I’m looking for my ear to the ground. What I read, what I find on the Internet, resources that are developed there, and certainly also in the personal side in my community in looking at other people around me and to see a different perspective that, you know, by definition it’s someone else’s, I could never have. When you start to put yourself in that position, you really start to get, you know … I mean, that’s the way you can seek and learn and grow. That’s been working for me.
Toni: So when you look around your community and what is it exactly that you see? Is it someone else’s … what they’re doing or learning from them?
Timothy: A different way that they are looking at things, that’s right; and how they’re thinking about things and executing on their ideas, and why are they doing that? My first impulse many times is “I would do it differently.” That’s my first impulse.
And so it lets me start to look at it from those two perspectives. You know, maybe “This is my idea, this is their idea. Look at how well theirs is working.” And learn something new on the one hand. On the other hand, understand how they do it the way they do it, and what the nuances are that you didn’t know at first. That provides that depth of background and knowledge.
Toni: That’s really interesting. I know you spoke about books, media that you draw your inspiration from. Are there any other type of tools or techniques or methodologies that you yourself use to stay inspired?
Timothy: Yes. Meditation. That’s a good one to say if I can say that now.
Toni: Absolutely.
Timothy: That’s a big deal.
Toni: Can I ask you why?
Timothy: Well, because it allows you to … well, in my meditation, I have a purposeful meditation where I’m looking for, you know, insight where I have none and a fresh and open mind. If that’s what I’m focusing on, then set aside what I know, look for new ideas. That really helps me find that place of humble, you know, proper perspective, and lets me open up to what we were talking about is inspiration. New ideas, new ways. And to be comfortable with what the truth is.
Toni: Did you always approach life that way?
Timothy: Oh, no.
Toni: No? Was there a turning point for you?
Timothy: Sure. Growing up somewhere along the line.
Well, you know, I think at some point you instinctively, in the course of life, come to a place of reflection on potential versus results. And you say to yourself, “If I’m defining myself in this way, how does it compare to what my results are?”
Unfortunately or not, or fortunately — whichever perspective that you have — is that that’s the bottom line. One day I looked at that and I said “Well, nice talk, but we need something different in the walk to have those two things aligned.” You know, what I believe I am and what the scorecard says.
Toni: Sometimes, that’s … for some of us, those moments aren’t very pretty.
Timothy: Of course not. If I had already known the truth, I’d have acted differently. But there I was, so … you know, it’s a tough place to move on from. But that’s another form of inspiration, whether you find it in yourself or in the results or the way that things around you are working, you know. Whatever it is, you can find that lever to move you.
Toni: Speaking of that, then, the final question for the Project is, how do you seek information and ideas in order for you to continuously explore your own potential?
Timothy: I guess I’m not getting that question answered in a way, because I’m going to, like I said earlier, to the medias, to new ideas from people. I have exposure to people as I move around that I’m able to ask them questions. And so I make it a point that that’s what I’m always doing is asking questions and reading new stuff and looking for new stuff and listening to new ideas if I can.
Toni: And so, I know that that’s also what inspires you, but it also helps you to explore your potential, and there is a difference. So when you are exploring your own potential, then, do you put this learning, these nuggets of inspiration that you’re getting from the different types of media that you’re exposing yourself to, then what happens with that for you to explore?
Timothy: Yes, you’ve got to put it into action. That leads me to something I said earlier, which is, what are you exposing yourself to? Because if I’m exposing myself to Eastern art of relativism instead of the art of doing business and taking care of what’s going on around me, that’s not helpful to me to have that inspiration. So, I’m looking more towards business types of inspiration or things that help me care for my clients better.
That’s what my focus is, is that in seeking the information it’s things that I can then apply in a practical way to how I position people’s money to the decisions that we make about whether we should buy something or lease something or invest in a particular real estate or not or what type or where. All of those things need to come to bear in how I deliver my experience to my clients for their use.
Toni: You did that beautifully, because there’s a lot of people that don’t correlate between what they seek for their own inspiration and how they explore their potential and how that directly correlates to what they do with others.
Timothy: I’m a lucky guy. I have the most beautiful job available, in my opinion, given my skills and experience and background. I’m able to help people do something that’s very distasteful and fear based and just apply my experience to it so that it takes the decision-making responsibility in a different direction for them.
Toni: And what was really, really interesting, too, that you brought out that I think the readers and the listeners of this project interview will get is the fact that you said you didn’t come at this. You had to go through your own transformation, look in your own mirror and say “Okay, I gotta walk the talk.” And so, if you hadn’t gone through that experience, how authentic would you be in trying to tell others to do the same?
Timothy: Yeah, That’s the whole idea. That’s exactly what the directive is, is to be what we call an authentic advisor. That’s it. Be aligned. That’s what you’re always trying to get to. Be aligned, be aligned with, like you said, with my clients and their desires and my job and what I’m doing on all parts of my personal.
Toni: Fantastic. Timothy, I can’t thank you enough for being part of this Project today. You’ve given a lot of really good insight and information into what you do and how you do it and also what moves you, and for that, we all benefit and thank you so very much .
Timothy: Nice meeting you today.
Toni: Thank you.
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For more information about Timothy Brown: www.firstfinancialadv.com
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