Written by:

Frank Sisco, 30 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804

Home office - 914.740.4422, Cell - 914.589.1013; Email – ideasmoney@aol.com

www.LifeAndMoney.com

Word count = 1,339 words plus 61 words for About the Author)

July can be the time to take off a couple of weeks, get away to California, the Bahamas, the Hamptons or at least the seashore towns on the coasts of New Jersey or New England.   By plane or car.   With spouse and children, or maybe grandchildren or friends.   The hoped-for result is a good time, some fun and sharing, sun and surf, and coming back more relaxed and eager to start a new chapter.   Sure, that could be worthwhile, but you should consider a "business vacation" instead, on your own, at an industry conference.   Could be just as invigorating and perhaps less stressful.   Sounds nerdy but hear me out.

Near the end of July, I awoke on Thursday realizing I did not receive information this year about the annual broker-dealer conference.   I missed last year and went the year before to Washington, DC and the year before that to Jersey City.   The conference is four days filled with presentations about financial services, including financial planning, investments and insurance, and with a few continuing education credits as well. Every industry has something similar.   I bet there are probably a million people or more who have had a similar pleasurable experience with a business vacation, and perhaps the leisure travel industry (and spouses) are keeping it a secret in fear the news will spread.

That Thursday morning, I call the broker-dealer (aka securities firm) that is owned by a major insurance company and learn that this year's conference, called "Defining Success" begins on Sunday, just four days away, and it's at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC.   I decide to do it.   Impetuous is better than over-planning.   I call the hotel and they are booked for conference attendees (over 500) but the home office helped me find another representative who wanted to share a room, I call him and made arrangements.   That set, I book myself on an Amtrak train, right out of my town in New Rochelle, NY, a suburb of Manhattan.   The train trip was not only relaxing but also productive as I brought my laptop and caught up on some nonfiction writing.   I even had occasion to take videoclips of the countryside and cities we went through along the way, new to me from that perspective on the ground from railroad tracks.   When I arrived Sunday early evening I had plenty of time to unpack, meet my hotel roommate Ed and join the group for lively conversation at cocktails and dinner.   So far, very good.

Monday morning started off with videoclips shown on the large screens on the ballroom/conference room stage of various representatives talking about how they define success.   For many people it was more important to make a difference in the lives of clients than to attain their own personal monetary rewards.   Then the first of two outstanding inspirational guest speakers was welcomed by us.   I did not expect to be wowed by the four-star Army general,   who is a board member of the parent company, but I soon became very stirred, intellectually and emotionally.   He captivated me by his easy-going demeanor and New York sensibilities and regular-guy stories about the Yankees and Boston Red Sox and the hot-dog lunch by President Bush.   I respected his military experience and appreciated his views about the risk of terrorism and the need for our nation to firmly deal with it head-on over the decades he anticipates the battle will continue.    When he talked about the twenty terrorist incidents in this country that have been averted and the current real risks of attacks on large cites costing hundreds of thousands of lives, I felt that everyone of us in the room became less head-in-the-sand, myself included.   

The next speaker, Chris Gardner, recounted his experiences as a struggling father taking care of a young son, after his wife left them, and not making enough income to pay rent while trying to make a go of it in the securities industry.   Chris is the author of the best-selling true story "The Pursuit of Happyness" and portrayed by Will Smith in the film of the same name, one of the biggest grossing movies of all time.   Following his dynamic talk, I had the opportunity to videotape his signing books for scores of eager attendees, and telling my daughter Kelly into my video camera - "Kelly, keep on trying!"    The rest of Monday and Tuesday were filled with excellent presentations about new trends, products and services, separated by breaks for food and conversation, and small-group meetings on various topics.    I took notes about three major new ideas and directions for my business.  

In one meeting about business coaching of about forty people led by a father and son team of coaches, Jerry, a financial advisor in his sixties, volunteered for coaching about identifying his goals over the next ten years, including a business exit strategy.   When the coach Julian asked for another volunteer with whom to walk through some concepts of coaching, I raised my hand and then found myself explaining to him, his son, John, and the roomful of peers what I feel are my shortcomings, strengths, and challenges.   I got more satisfaction and ideas for personal growth in those ten minutes than in scores of hours of reading self-help books and articles and attending courses.   Throughout the conference, including the evening dinners out and the trip to a museum, I met people from all over the country and shared various approaches and experiences about life and money, and the financial services industry. My brain was on full throttle and my heart raced with reenergized enthusiasm.  

As I reflect on why my conference experience was so positive, the reasons include feeling part of something important, getting reassured about my own ideas while learning new ones, relating to new interesting people, and being inspired by events and people, all done in a pressure-free environment.

On Wednesday morning, following certain presentations about compliance, another motivational speaker took the stage.   Gary Guller talked for one-half hour about his extraordinary experience of leading a group of physically disabled people and helpers, numbering 300, up Mt. Everest to the base station, up several thousand feet.   Then, he continued with a few others to the very top.   What brought tears to my eyes was not only that he achieved a remarkable goal that he set for himself, and not just that he helped so many others achieve a once-in-a-lifetime experience but that he did it with one arm.   Gary lost his left arm in a climbing accident a few years before.   What a man of courage and spirit!

As I gathered myself after that amazing presentation, filled with expedition photos filling up the three large screens at the stage, I heard Paul, a conference leader, say to the 500-plus attendees in the large grand ballroom: "Before you leave for lunch, I have a special quote that was given by Frank Sisco to Mike, our CEO, just an hour ago.   The quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson on the meaning of success, the theme of this conference.   Here it is: 'To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded.'" I looked around and hundreds in the audience were smiling and nodding in agreement.   I felt that I too made a contribution to the conference, and I was very happy to see my small gesture of sharing the quote with Mike actually ended up being shared with hundreds of people.  

I'm not saying I will not be going to Italy again or seeing Hawaii, but a business conference a train ride away sure made me cooler in July.

About the author:

Frank Sisco is a CPA and Personal Financial Specialist and writes on topics related to life and money.   You can contact Frank by email at ideasmoney@aol.com or by phone at 914.589.1013 in order to express your opinion about this article or to obtain copies of prior articles.   He resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife and daughter.