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Don't worry about going slow. Just worry about stopping. That old saying has been around as long as I can remember and its message is still every bit as urgent as it was years ago. Just hang in there long enough and you will be a success in this business. Ask any veteran in any boardroom in any country in the world how much of his or her book was inherited from departing Advisors and you'll know exactly what I mean.

The dropout rate in our industry is up there with any industry in the world. I'm willing to bet that only 25% of all those who pass the Series 7 test make it to the five year mark. For various reasons, the majority fall to the wayside, while an intrepid few keep marching along.

Finish the race. Some of those few become the top few; and the top few get the ink and the fame and that's fine. But they are not the only winners. Anyone who is still moving toward the finish line after the last few years is a survivor. Anybody who is making a living as a Financial Advisor and providing for his or her family, after all we have been through, is a winner. You and I are not paid to start the race. We are paid to finish the race. Finishing number one is not the point. Finishing is the point. You don't have to be number one to be a hero to those in your life who matter. Giuliano Razzoli is cool. Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong is every bit as cool.

The story of two winners. Razzoli and Nkrumah-Acheampong are Alpine skiers who skied in the men's slalom at the recently completed Vancouver Olympic Games. Both went there with incredibly high goals. Razzoli's goal was to win the gold medal. Nkrumah-Acheampong's goal was not to finish last. Both achieved their goals. Yet, in the aftermath, the world applauds Razzoli and adores Nkrumah-Acheampong. We salute #1. We embrace #47. Why? Because Razzoli is that multi-million-dollar, I-will-be-number-one-if-I-have-to-stay-here-all-night producer we read about; and Nkrumah-Acheampong is us.

A story of unmatched skill. Razzoli is from Italy. He began skiing seriously at age three and has never stopped. He had a great mentor, Alberto Tomba, the last Italian man to win an Olympic Alpine gold medal. He practices skiing as often and as hard as anyone in the world. He has been racing competitively nearly all his life. Second place at Vancouver would not have been acceptable. Second place is failure.

A story of unmatched heart. Nkrumah-Acheampong is from Ghana. The coolest month of the year in Ghana averages 77 degrees Fahrenheit. He took up skiing less than ten years ago in England. He had no mentor. Even his coach can beat him down a mountain. Nonetheless, he arrived in Vancouver as Ghana's first-ever Olympic skier. "I've been able to wangle and wrangle and struggle and find deals here and there," said Nkrumah-Acheampong. He made it there on short money and with two goals: avoid last place and beat at least one skier from a country where it snows. Check and check.

The parallels. Here's where the business of Alpine skiing is eerily like yours. Of the 102 skiers who competed in the slalom, only 48 finished the required two runs. Nkrumah-Acheampong finished 47th and Erjon Tola of Albania finished 48th. The majority fell to the wayside. They didn't finish.

Fans were chanting "Ghana," "Ghana," "Ghana" for an hour after the race and Nkrumah-Acheampong met every autograph and photo request thrown his way. His comment after all he had accomplished: "I just try to remember who I am." As he explained it, "Just be yourself and things will turn out right. If you try to play up to the cameras, then that's a problem."

Find your own "Gold Medal". It's highly likely that winning the gold medal in our business means spending our waking hours in the office. Maybe your goal as an Advisor is not to spend all your time in the office. Maybe your goal as a Financial Advisor is to spend some time in the office and a lot of time with your family. It's hard to be a good Dad or Mom over the phone. Maybe your goal as a Financial Advisor is to spend some time in the office and a lot of time with your spouse or mate. It's hard to be a good spouse or a good mate over the phone. Maybe your goal as a Financial Advisor does not include walking around feeling guilty because you have failed to hit an unreasonable goal. Maybe unburdened is better than burdened. Maybe reasonable goals are better than unrealistic goals. Maybe balance in your life is more important than spending your waking hours on the job. Yes, there are Advisors who have absolute balance in their lives and still post higher than average numbers. But they are few and far between. The reality for most of us is that we reap what we sow.

Cross that finish line. I say this because I want you to know that Number One Dad is a better goal than Number One Advisor. Being Number One in your home is better than being Number One in your region.

I advocate being number one, make no mistake. I do not, however, advocate walking through life wound tighter than a drum. The pressure to survive and provide is exaction enough in this kind of market. Crossing the finish line is a lot more important than crossing the finish line number one.

Nkrumah-Acheampong stayed on his feet and under control. He finished 43 seconds behind the winner. He wasn't number one in the Olympics, yet he still hit all his goals. At the finish line, his wife and two children were looking at him, not Razzoli. The world envied Razzoli. The world related to Nkrumah-Acheampong.

Both men left it all on the mountain. Each skied to the best of his ability. Each was the recipient of everlasting gratitude. Each is a hero. Most of all, each accomplished what he set out to do.

Isn't it ironic that finishing 47th is as cool, as satisfying and as rewarding as finishing number one. It doesn't make you a loser if you've given your all.

May you look in the mirror at the end of the year and say out loud, "I accomplished what I set out to do."

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