There’s a moment in every yoga class that feels deceptively simple—tree pose.
One foot planted, the other tucked. Hands at heart center or reaching high above your head. You look calm. Still. In control.
But anyone who’s held tree pose knows the truth: balance isn’t static. It’s a constant series of micro-adjustments. Tiny shifts. Muscles firing. Core engaged.
It looks effortless.
But it’s anything but easy.
But this isn’t a yoga lesson and I am not sure if anyone on the East Bay team has ever actually tried to hold a tree pose, but we do know about the struggle to provide balance and consistency in our personal and professional lives as well as between them.
You see, the tree pose appears serene and effortless, yet it demands continuous micro-adjustments and mental focus to maintain balance. So do portfolios and so do financial advisors.
But is balance a myth? Or does it just demand constant attention to try and maintain?
Let’s dive in.
The Paradox of Balance
So is balance a myth? Certainly it can’t be a complete myth. Just ask anyone whose life has depended on their ability to make minor micro-adjustments, like a hiker traversing a narrow path on the edge of a cliff or a pilot making split-second corrections during turbulence. In those moments, balance isn’t a lofty ideal—it’s a matter of survival, maintained not by standing still, but by constantly adapting to the forces around you.
Balance, then, is not a static achievement but a dynamic process requiring constant attention and adjustment. In the advisory profession, we see this play out in meeting the complexities of client needs and striking meaningful tradeoffs between your personal and professional life. Talk about a ton of subconcious micro adjustments likely firing every second of every day in one way or another.
And yet, here’s the paradox: the more we chase balance as an outcome—some perfect harmony of time, energy, and results—the more elusive it feels.
Why? Because balance isn’t something you “get.” It’s something you practice.
And the irony is, the people who appear the most balanced—the ones who seem calm, clear, and consistent—aren’t the ones who’ve found some secret formula. They’re just the ones who’ve built habits that help them return to center faster when things go sideways.
That’s the real trick, in life and in markets: not avoiding turbulence, but learning how to move through it without losing your footing.
Consistency: The Unsung Hero of Performance
If balance is the dance, consistency is the beat that holds it all together.
It’s easy to glamorize bold moves—big ideas or breakthrough strategies. But when you peel back the curtain on what actually drives results—long-term, sustainable results—it’s almost always something far less sexy.
Repetition.
Routine.
Restraint.
In yoga, consistency builds muscle memory. In investing, it builds outcomes.
It’s showing up, again and again, even when the market is choppy, the client is nervous, or the results aren’t immediate. It’s knowing that skipping your process—even once—can send everything wobbling. And it’s still choosing to stick with it even if a client gets…feisty.
As you very well know, and the 2024 Mind the Gap Study by Morningstar found, investor outcomes are more closely tied to behavioral consistency—things like sticking to a consistent contribution schedule like dollar cost averaging, asset allocation and avoiding panic-selling—than they are to trying to chase the “best” investment product or time the market.
In other words: discipline outperforms drama. No new news for us.
But we need to apply that same principle when running an advisory firm. Advisors who build the most trust—and the most margin in their lives—aren’t necessarily the most brilliant. They’re the most consistent.
Consistent in how they communicate.
Consistent in how they set expectations.
Consistent in how they deliver on their promises.
Even when no one’s watching. Especially when no one’s watching.
And if you’ve ever worked with a team, raised a family, managed a book of business, or built a portfolio through multiple economic cycles… you know exactly how hard consistency really is.
Returning to Center: Building a Foundation for Balance
In yoga, the key to maintaining balance isn’t about achieving a static pose; it’s about developing the ability to return to center after each wobble. This principle applies equally to you, as a financial advisor, striving to maintain equilibrium in your professional and personal lives.
Establishing a solid foundation—through consistent routines, clear processes, and reliable partnerships—enables you to navigate the inevitable challenges of your profession.
So how do you build a solid foundation?
Start by focusing on these three principles:
- Simplify what you can.
Not everything in your business needs your hands on it. The more complexity you can remove—whether in your tech stack, client onboarding, or investment execution—the easier it becomes to stay steady. Streamline the things that slow you down.
- Systematize your strengths.
The parts of your work that light you up—the client meetings, the planning conversations, the long-term vision—should be protected. Build repeatable systems around them so they stay strong even as you scale.
- Outsource the rest (strategically).
Whether it’s investment management, compliance, marketing, or operations, bringing in fractional partners can give you back time, clarity, and energy. You don’t have to do it all. You just have to know what you do best—and let others handle the rest with their own unique skillsets.
Foundations & Systems Matter in Your Financial Planning Business
Your foundation will stabilize you, allow you to recover quickly, and sustain long-term performance. It takes far less energy to make minor corrections constantly than to make major corrections that take longer to recover from less frequently.
That’s why having the right systems—and the right partners—matters. When you don’t have to carry everything alone, it becomes easier to stay consistent. Easier to think clearly. Easier to lead calmly. Whether it’s your investment process, your client communication, or your overall growth strategy, building in consistency gives you more margin to respond with intention instead of react in exhaustion.
The most resilient advisors aren’t doing more—they’re doing what matters most, with the right support behind them. If you’re ready to reclaim your time, sharpen your focus, and build a more stable foundation for growth, we’re here to help.
Let’s talk about what it could look like.
