Dear Younger Fred… go ahead and take your shot…
You were already walking out the door…
The conference was over.
The conversations were winding down.
The Uber was only a few taps away.
And honestly?
Nobody would have blamed you for calling it a night.
You had already spent the day connecting with colleagues.
Learning.
Sharing ideas.
Doing all the things you're supposed to do at these events.
But then you saw the Victoria / Island team standing across the room.
And for a moment, you hesitated.
Being from Kamloops, you don't often get the chance to spend time with them.
You knew who they were.
You knew a little bit about their story.
And something told you to walk over and say hello.
Nothing dramatic.
Just a simple decision...
Take a few extra steps...
Start one more conversation.
So you took your shot!
And what followed was another hour of conversation you never expected...
You talked about kids...
About life...
About coming from smaller communities.
About the similarities in your experiences.
About the things people don't always talk about in larger groups.
And somewhere in the middle of the conversation, you felt something familiar.
Real connection.
Not because your stories were identical.
But because they were similar enough to remind you that most of us are navigating the same things.
Trying to do good work.
Build meaningful lives.
Take care of the people we love.
And feel like we belong somewhere.
Then, as the night was ending, everyone gathered outside the on the sidewalk to take one last photo...
And out of nowhere, a young man jumped into the frame.
A complete photobomber!
We all erupted in laughter 😂 😆😜
And honestly…
it was perfect. 👌
Because he took his shot too.
And maybe that's the lesson.
Some of the best moments in life aren't planned.
They're not scheduled.
They're not planned.
They happen because someone decides to be a little brave.
To start the conversation.
To ask the question.
To introduce themselves.
To walk across the room.
To stay five minutes longer.
Younger Fred…
most of the meaningful relationships in your life won't begin with certainty.
They'll begin with a small moment of courage.
A simple decision to take your shot.
Because the worst thing that can happen is usually far less costly than the opportunities you'll miss by never trying.
And when you look back on your life…
you'll rarely regret the shots you took.
You'll wonder about the ones you didn't.
Baaaaam — that's it for today.
See you next Thursday.
Stay curious,
Fred
Brian Vanderkruyk CFP®, CIM® Lisa Richardson, CFP® Jessica Grunerud CFP®, PFP®, FCSI® David Jara, BA (Hons), CFP, MBA
