Last Sunday, an interview of Nora Ephron appeared in the New York Times. I’m a big fan of hers because she’s overcome many personal and professional challenges throughout her life. And although most of us will never be nominated for an Academy Award, we all have challenges to face and overcome.
Ephron is perhaps most famous for winning three Academy Awards nominations for Best Screenplay: “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle”and “Silkwood.”
She’s also a film director and the author of several books. Her most recent book, “I Remember Nothing,” is No. 7 on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller list and trending upward.
Asked if she would next be working on a movie, book, or play, she replied, “The most satisfying thing is not to have to choose, not to have to rely on any of them for anything — to make a living or anything else.”
That pretty well sums up the goal of people who come to investment advisors while they are still working. They want help figuring out how to achieve the freedom to choose how to spend their time. Some of them will likely choose to keep working even after they no longer have to. Others will hang up their working lives and follow their passion, whatever that is.
I especially liked Ephron’s description of her idea of a perfect day: “Good weather and a walk in the park. I don’t ask for much.”
Though her fame and wealth can open doors that most of us will never go through, she has come to understand that the simple things in life often bring the most pleasure.
