Episode 2: How to explore your purpose

Oscarlyn Elder (00:04):

Welcome to “I've Been Meaning To Do That,” a podcast from Truist Wealth, a purpose-driven financial services company. I'm Oscarlyn Elder, co-chief investment officer for Truist Wealth. And I am thankful that you are taking your time to listen to this podcast today. Last episode, we talked a lot about purpose. We discussed about how in today's complex world, folks are focusing on living intentionally, and with purpose, but that sometimes there's difficulty in extending that effort into financial planning. We talked about the value in connecting your purpose to your decision making, how it can help make choosing among alternatives more clear. It can help you avoid being distracted. It can help you prioritize and move yourself from discussion to action. And then it can help you sustain your action and engagement.

(00:56):

Our experts shared that purpose is about your why. And lastly, we challenged you to begin to take the steps in defining your purpose. So we shared some questions with you that we asked you to start asking yourself and recording your responses to. Today, we're here to continue the purpose discussion, and we have more steps that you can take to discern, and understand your purpose. I’m happy to have both Alex Wagner and Erica Shalhoup back with us for episode two. Erica, hi, how are you? Will you take a second to introduce yourself again to our listeners?

Erica Shalhoup (01:35):

Hey, Oscarlyn, thanks so much for having me. I get the joy every day of helping all of our 50,000 teammates bring their purpose, mission, and values to life. And what that really looks like is when they find out how their personal purpose, and Truist's purpose, and the work they do intersect, and they can find the joy, and intrinsic motivation that comes from knowing they're doing what matters most to them for others, and for themselves. So, thanks so much for having me. I'm glad to be here.

Oscarlyn Elder (02:01):

Erica, thank you so much. The work that you do impacts every teammate at Truist. It's been really important in the life of our company, and I'm just very grateful for all that you do for us. Alex, I'm going to turn to you next. Welcome. It's great to have you back. Can you share with our listeners what you do for Truist?

Alex Wagner (02:22):

Yes, and thanks, Oscarlyn, for having us back for a second run. I'm thrilled to be here again. And I'm Alex Wagner, and I lead our brand purpose marketing team, which is really a way of bringing our purpose to life externally. So, think of what Erica does is really creates the purpose, energy, and integration internally among our teammates. But it has to then go outside into the world in order to live, and bring it to life and actually deliver on what we say we're all about. So, my role is to help message that, market it, and help translate it into special programs, products, and services that align with that. So thank you for having me on.

Oscarlyn Elder (03:01):

Thank you so much, Alex, for joining. All right, Erica and Alex, buckle up, because we're going to continue the discussion around purpose. My first question is, and as I've stated, we talked a lot about purpose in episode one, but I want to make sure that everyone is on the same page as they're listening to this episode. So Alex, how do you define purpose?

Alex Wagner (03:24):

I define purpose as our why, as you already said, and that's generally how people can anchor to it. Why we're here. We all ask that question, why am I alive? What am I here to do? Why am I here? So that's the first thing. And as you define it, it becomes your north star of your aspiration of the ultimate impact that you want to make in this world. That's what this is all about. And if you joined us for the first episode, I told the honeybee story, I won't say it again, but the point is it's very different to know your why than just that you've got goals and you're doing things. Really, really important. And it really is what I call the solar power to your life, if you're really aligned with it. And I also define it as basically looking at when you know your why, then what you therefore do, and how you do it is continuously guided by your purpose.

(04:20):

So, you don't just feel like your actions are random, they actually become guided through this thread that just goes through everything you do, so that's it. What you therefore do, and how you do it is what's guided by your purpose. And the third part I would say is really purpose is so personal. And in order for it to be compelling to you, you have to really have it rooted in your personal story, your life experiences, your core truths. So, what's important about it is that you anchor it in your heritage story from early on in your childhood, and then that you feel into it. And once it feels so right, you know it's aligned to you, and that you own it, and can actually therefore then live it. So you'll know it in your body when it is aligned with truly who you are. It will feel congruent.

Oscarlyn Elder (05:14):

Yeah. Thank you, Alex, so much. Thank you for giving us those three elements of purpose, just very essential to the conversation we're going to have today. Thank you. And the last episode, we also talked, toward the end of it, we gave our listeners some questions that they could start asking themselves to start exploring what their purpose might be. They were questions designed for reflection, and self-awareness. Erica, I'd like to turn to you. Help us understand why reflection is a critical piece of the purpose journey.

Erica Shalhoup (05:51):

I think reflection is so important for a variety of reasons really. So many times we get caught up in what we're doing or what's next on our to-do list or even the million things we haven't yet gotten to. And you don't ever take a moment to stop and breathe. And how do you take a moment to step outside of the pressures of the day to day and really create the right time, the right space, and the right mindset to really think about what matters most to you? The things that you see, those threads that are in the most important and most joyful or painful moments of your life, the things that drive you, that excite you, that scare you, that move you to action or to tears. Those moments don't always get recognized when we're in the throes of the day to day. It's not until you stop and take that moment to reflect and really think about what are the things that are most important to you.

(06:51):

Many think of that as your core values or the things that really drive your deepest-most motivations and the way you want to be. Those things, when you dig deep and start connecting the dots between what you value and how those ladder up to then what imprint you want to have, that doesn't come easily. And that doesn't come in one sitting and that doesn't come without taking a moment for yourself. I often tell folks as we go on this journey that, "Go take a walk" or "Go get some fresh air or meditate or get away from the computer and the phone and really take the time to reflect so you can start to see those things come to fruition in a way you may never have before." And that, I think, is why it's so important, because truly the things that are most important, you may not notice until you take the time and the intention to do just that.

Oscarlyn Elder (07:41):

So, let's take a second and I'd like to double click into the values piece of what you talked about. Can you give our listeners some examples of, perhaps, values that are important to you? So, maybe not talking generally, but let's talk specifically if we can for a few minutes just to give some examples. What do you value, and why?

Erica Shalhoup (08:04):

There's a lot of things I value, but when I think about some that are most important to me, one, it's honesty and fairness. So ensuring that people are transparent and treated in a way that no matter who you are or from whence you come, that we are thinking about each other as equals and fairly, and treat one another with that level of respect. Another value for me that is important is the value of work ethic and commitment. Really putting forth, committing, and following through on what it is that you do. So that sense of commitment and follow through. And then, the list is long, but a third value I would say, if I distill it down, is love, or kindness is the best way I would say it. That truly we focus on the humanness of one another first and foremost. And that comes out in the way we interact, in the interactions we have, the way we try and lift each other up or help grow future generations. But for me, it starts from that place of kindness and love versus anything else.

Oscarlyn Elder (09:07):

Thank you so much. I think it's just very valuable to hear other people's, what's important to other people. It just helps us develop the muscle, and at times the language for how to think about this. Alex, how about you? What are maybe your top value or your top three? How do you think about values?

Alex Wagner (09:25):

Yeah, some of them are very similar to Erica’s. So, love, and kindness is my top category as one. Then family and spirituality and health. Those are really the way I look at it. If I've got those in the right order up there, then everything else can follow. I sort of see them as my building blocks, as the family building blocks. We even have written the family values, and we have them up, and we sometimes debate them, and what gets reprioritized, and that's then how we think about aligning our spending, and all that as we talked about previously. Informs a lot.

Oscarlyn Elder (10:02):

Thank you. And if I'm going to ask you to share, I think I probably need to share too.

Alex Wagner (10:07):

Yes.

Oscarlyn Elder (10:07):

We'd love that to be fair and transparent. To go back, I think to what Erica noted—and we mentioned this on the first episode—I am not as far along on the journey as I think you two are. But in looking at this, one of the core values that's really critical to me, and frankly it goes back to my childhood, education was really important, especially to my mother. Really, really. It was just really important. We were probably the only kids ever that if she wanted us to do something at home, she would actually threaten to not send us to school. So, she would be like, “If you don't clean your room, you're not going to school tomorrow.” And we would do it, because we really wanted to go to school. It's a little bit crazy, but true.

Erica Shalhoup (10:55):

Wow.

Alex Wagner (10:55):

Love it.

Oscarlyn Elder (10:56):

My siblings and I have often laughed about that. But education was really important to her and it has become a very important part of my life story, of my journey from undergraduate work to graduate work to not formal education, but just everyday learning, to now my daughter's education. So it's something that's really important and it's reflected in my purpose or it's reflected in the expression of my purpose because more and more I'm actually thinking about beyond me and my daughter, but really beginning to think about my grandnieces and my grandnephews and frankly how, perhaps, I can impact their futures. Anyway, it's just kind of top of mind for me. It is education and connecting that value into my purpose, which an element of my purpose is about creating better futures, and that really captures the value of education. And then I'm looking more and more to how I express that through my action.

Alex Wagner (12:03):

That's so beautiful, Oscarlyn. I love the way you've connected it into your purpose statement and into the work you do. Beautiful.

Oscarlyn Elder (12:11):

So now I've just got to carry through and there's some action steps that go along with that, that as we go through this podcast series I'll keep folks updated to make sure that I'm doing what I should be doing there, what I've been meaning to do, if you will. All right, so values, we know, very important. The values connect to purpose, and purpose ultimately is connecting to the goals and the outcome and the success that we're all looking for. Erica and Alex, are there tools and resources that you've uncovered or discovered in your journeys that we should talk about and share with our audience today?

Erica Shalhoup (12:54):

Alex, do you want to take that one first?

Alex Wagner (12:56):

Well, you've got lots of great tools, but I will say mine is more freeform. While I know there are lots of great tools out there, books to read and guidance, and I think they're really great, I'm going to say there's some really wonderful books out there on it, I think it's really important to make it your own and what you're comfortable with. I like personalizing it to say, "Hey, what are you comfortable with?" If it's the baby step, take the baby step with a little... just a nudge with a couple of questions. What you'll see is we'll offer up a document that might nudge you in exactly that direction. It's the appetizer. And others that are intellectually driven, maybe like Oscarlyn, you might want to deep dive and read the full book first. So I say make it really personal, do it how you like it, use the tools that feel comfortable to you, and therefore set yourself up for success.

Oscarlyn Elder (13:48):

And Alex, you've noted, so we're going to have available to our audience a document. We're going to tell you where to go get it so that you can access it, you can pull it down, print it if you need to. And in that document there'll be a series of questions similar to some of the reflection questions that we talked about on the last episode. But in addition to those reflection questions, we've also got a list of core values that we have provided. So, when I look at it, I believe it's about 30 core values, so not 500 but 30 core values. And there's no right, there's no wrong. I want to go back to something you said, Alex: This is all very personal. What's important to me from a value perspective does not have to be what's important to Alex or to Erica or to anyone who's listening. So the values are unique to you, if you will, what you value and what you don't value.

(14:53):

So we've got a list of 30 values. You can look at that list, contemplate, do some Googling to find out what the definitions are, if you want to get really detailed. And then from that list, we ask you to pick 10 or so that are really important. And then to try to narrow those down to five. We'll challenge you to say, "Hey, are there themes running through these choices?" We'll also ask you to contemplate the ones that are least important. And then also some additional thought questions there around how might your responses differ from the people that you care most about in your life. So we'll have that tool for you. We're going to tell you how to get to it, but we're trying to make it easy for you to take this and then mix this, if you will, with other resources that you may find. Erica, I want to pivot to you and just make sure you have an opportunity, are there any specific resources that you would want to point people to?

Erica Shalhoup (15:53):

I think what you've outlined is probably the best one to start, Oscarlyn. Because to Alex's point, there's a plethora of information out there and we could reel off a variety of books and the deeper research. But what I would say is the most important thing about this work is actually to not over-engineer it, to keep it simple and keep it true to you. Because I think what I've found is that I spent a lot of time reading and researching and trying to figure out all the right words and make sure that it sounded the right way and that my purpose compared well to Alex's and all of those things in the beginning. And then what you realize is that's actually the opposite of what I should have been doing. What you really should be doing is take something as simple as a few questions and distilling your values like you just mentioned, and just gut check it.

(16:40):

That's what I would say, the most important thing. Talk about, the space and the reflection we talked about earlier, take that time for that. And then gut check and say, "Here's what I think is most important to me and here's where I think that comes into this statement." And then the other thing I do, some of the best times are, look in the mirror and really then say, "Am I living this? Is this who I actually am? And is this what I actually believe?" Because sometimes that first layer of what I think I want to be and who I think I want to be is really different than what I know I am. And I think that's the most important part of this. It's less about what resources you choose and more about the authenticity you put into the process.

Oscarlyn Elder (17:21):

OK.

Alex Wagner (17:22):

Great point.

Oscarlyn Elder (17:24):

Erica, that's really powerful. Instead of co-chief investment officer, I could be called co-chief over-engineerer. I am prone to over-engineering just about everything in my life and my family will attest to that. I am really going to take to heart what you just shared, which is make it simple, make it authentic. Doesn't have to be complex, it just needs to be you. Again, doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't have to be an expression at a graduate-school-level vocabulary. It just needs to be real.

Erica Shalhoup (18:10):

And here's my litmus test for that, Oscarlyn. If I land a statement and I look at it and I read it and I read it again and I get a little bit of the butterflies in the stomach because it's ambitious—because being purposeful is not always easy, we can't forget that. It doesn't mean I'm on purpose every single day, every single moment. I wish I were, but I'm not. It's enough to be ambitious and it can give me a little anxious, "Oh my gosh, can I do that?" And yet I know in my heart that that's what I want to do. To Alex's point, it's the feel, not the thought. And I think those things together, then you know you've landed the plane, then you know you're in a space that seems where you should be.

Oscarlyn Elder (18:50):

I love the ambition piece of this because what purpose does is it shapes and informs the future. We talked about that in the first episode. It should be designed to be ambitious, to be how we think about success. And again, the success that we're looking for is not simply a return to a portfolio. It's not simply a number on a page. We're thinking about success, for many of us, success is more holistic. And so that ambitious, forward-looking, future state that we're looking to act towards is a really important element of this.

Alex Wagner (19:32):

I think the key here is that it's the journey. You're putting a trajectory and directional trajectory in place, almost like the energy is intentionally set in that direction. And it can feel a little audacious at times. You're like, "What am I saying here? This is a little stretch for me." And that doesn't mean you're living it, like Erica just said, all the time. It's just you're setting your inner compass to live this way intentionally and directionally. And it's OK if it feels a little daunting.

Erica Shalhoup (19:59):

Yeah, it probably should, right?

Alex Wagner (20:01):

That's right.

Erica Shalhoup (20:02):

At the end of the day.

Alex Wagner (20:02):

I was going to say that.

Erica Shalhoup (20:03):

That's right.

Oscarlyn Elder (20:12):

All right. I'd like to pivot now, and Alex, would like to spend some time just talking about, with both of you, actually. And again, we touched on this briefly in episode one, purpose is such a personal experience. However, we go through life with people, and a lot of the people that we go through life with most closely are our family members. Are there people that we should share our purpose with? Who do you recommend we start to share it with? We're going to start there, but we're going to dig into some other elements of it. Again, I don't want to over-engineer the conversation. Let's start with who should you talk to about your purpose?

Alex Wagner (20:55):

I can say that I think it's a great idea to start with your most trusted circle, your family, your spouse, but sometimes that doesn't feel right. There is not one rule to this either. It is that it feels right and comfortable to you. It's a person that you would confide in but that needs to know you quite well in order to be able to push back and challenge, not in a bad way, but just to push you and to say, "Hey, have you thought about this? This is how I see you, that doesn't seem like you," or "I see other angles." Literally, what I recommend is inviting them, inviting the honest feedback and giving them permission to speak really freely because that's what will add value to you. And I think that's what everyone needs, because we're so conscious of criticizing others and this is such a vulnerable space. So the way I've gone about it is just to set up what I'm doing, what my process is, and that the greatest help they could give me is to be deeply honest with me and to say where I'm falling short, where I'm delivering on this, and maybe where I should stretch in a different direction. And that has helped me refine this over many years.

Oscarlyn Elder (22:07):

I'll share that what I've seen in multiple decades now, working with clients in the wealth space, what I've seen is that if someone's comfortable with it... and they may need to get uncomfortable, right? Some people are very comfortable sharing, others it's uncomfortable, but it's very powerful when partners, spouses share with each other. If you have a partner that you're going through life with and your finances are connected, it's often really important that you take the time and you have the discussions to understand where are your values? How might your values differ because of your past? We've talked about journeys; often there is history that we have that impacts our values. I just talked about education. That same history may also impact how I view money as well, how I view wealth. And so beginning to have those dialogues with your partner so that you develop a common understanding of your legacy with value, your legacy, if you will, around money and how you view it, can be very powerful.

(23:28):

Because what happens when there's misunderstanding or even misalignment as a unit around what the values and the purpose are going to be, if there's misalignment, it can lead to lots of tension. It can lead to dueling priorities ultimately for how wealth is employed, how it's used within our everyday life. So it's just really important to have those conversations. I would recommend to folks, you don't have to start off with an hour-long conversation around it. We're going to give you this tool. If you haven't had that kind of conversation, it really might be as simple as taking the sheet and just going, "What's important to you? When you look at the page of these values, what are the three most important ones? Here are the three for me." And just having the bravery, the confidence to start the conversation. I'll also add that misalignment in values and purpose that ultimately gets expressed through differences in how money should be spent, how wealth should be treated, can cause just extreme tension in a relationship.

(24:46):

And we know that that type of tension can result in divorce and other things. And so again, very, very important, we think, to a successful life is having a confidence in the tools to have this conversation. I've seen it extend also, when we're talking about wealth and we're talking about a wealth creator, maybe a business owner or someone who's inherited wealth from a previous generation and they're working with their kids or their grandchildren, there's just a higher likelihood of success in reaching the purpose that that wealth creator has if there is comfort... or discomfort, in the initial conversation, but if there is conversation around the values, around the purpose that can be relayed to children and to grandchildren. So that communication around what's important to the wealth creator, what does that person value and why, how does that person see money? And then how is that reflected in the choices that are being made? Just all really important conversations to have. I realize I've gone on a little bit long about this, but I've seen this make such a critical difference in the joyfulness, the peacefulness, the happiness and success of families long term that it's just really important, as part of why we're here is to share this information. We just really encourage you to take the sheet, work through it, and begin those conversations hopefully soon. And in future episodes, I know we'll have opportunities to have other experts on to actually help us through some of those conversations in a more detailed way.

Alex Wagner (26:36):

Oscarlyn, can I add one thing? Because your points are so incredibly poignant and valuable. What I have seen too, and this is just to add on, is that sometimes it looks like your values and all are aligned because your actions around money can look the same, but the why you take the action may never be addressed until you get to this level. And while you may be all saving or donating money and doing things so it looks like you're aligned, especially partners early in their marriage, so you might think, "Oh, we're extremely aligned." But later in life you might uncover that the why behind you taking these actions is very different and typically rooted in your early childhood or upbringing around money. And that's when I think this exercise can typically align couples faster, earlier and prevent them from having these challenges later on. Any age in marriage, or any couple, but I just think this is a really important point.

Erica Shalhoup (27:34):

What I would add to that too, Alex, is, Oscarlyn, when you hit on something that I think is so important: the uncomfortableness of it. And it can feel uncomfortable in the beginning because we... It's much easier to talk about what you did or your actions or even, sometimes values are sometimes easier to talk about than purpose because that's more common nomenclature, right?

Oscarlyn Elder (27:54):

Agree.

Erica Shalhoup (27:54):

But when you really start distilling that why, what you also start doing is enabling a depth of understanding that is unparalleled. And you also get this opportunity to ask anyone you bring into that fold, your advisors, your partner, your close family, friends, any of those around you that are helping you make critical life decisions, you bring them into this circle to help you be accountable to actually living out your purpose.

Oscarlyn Elder (28:22):

That's right.

Erica Shalhoup (28:22):

And that's when the rubber meets the road. That's when I see it coming to fruition. And I can look back and say, in a day, in a week, in a month, in a year, "I did something to live on purpose and I continue to move that needle forward."

Oscarlyn Elder (28:37):

It increases the accountability when you share authentically and openly with the people you care about. When you're engaging in that deeper dialogue, it does create the accountability.

Erica Shalhoup (28:51):

Hundred percent, absolutely.

Oscarlyn Elder (28:51):

Absolutely. Thank you both so much for that conversation. All right. I'd like to move us for a few minutes to talk about... Again, lots of discussion about purpose, and some folks think that purpose is really about supporting one cause, it's only about donating funds. I think we've talked enough today to illuminate that that's not the case, but I want to spend some time here. Alex, is that all purpose is about for you? Is it only about a favorite cause, if you will?

Alex Wagner (29:37):

Definitely not. The favorite cause obviously is, as I said earlier, something that you might take action on because it's aligned with your purpose. The purpose would be the anchor point, the jumping-off point to help inform what actions then you take in life and what favorite cause you support ideally aligns with your purpose. It's much more than that. And I think, as we said earlier, purpose is a much bigger direction. The things you do because of it are informed by it. And so there are many things in life that would be informed by your purpose.

Oscarlyn Elder (30:17):

Totally agree. It's much deeper than one cause. Again, it's what's the impact that I want to have longer term? And for many of our clients, it really is about, what is the impact that I want to have directly and that I want my wealth to have long term? What do I need to do to create that impact? What are the actions that I need to take to get there?

Alex Wagner (30:43):

The other comment I would say, it's really about your entire life. So we don't just see it in one category. This is for your entire life to influence small, medium, and large decisions. It's just the way you ultimately live. And we call it "living on purpose" for that reason. It's part of who you become, who you are every day. And it's consciously tweaking your life to optimize to this direction. And it's that consciousness, and we sometimes forget. And that's why I really recommend writing down your purpose statement and putting it where you can see it, because you've got to keep it in consciousness to keep living it. And that would be the way we recommend it. And therefore, like you said earlier, is asking your friends and family to hold you accountable, to get them to nudge you when you're a little off track, asking you the question, "Is this really on purpose? Doesn't seem like it."

(31:37):

And then even if you own your own business, do the same thing. You can bring it to life through the business you've got, through the company you build, and how you lead that company. Even transition purpose into your organization, whatever you do in life, and help inspire others to live that way. It really goes far beyond that, it has that inspirational component.

Oscarlyn Elder (31:57):

Thank you so much. All right. We are closing in on our time together, but before we go, I'm going to be asking every guest a question at the end of the episode. The question is, what have you been meaning to do and you haven't done yet? So what have you been meaning to do that's still on your to-do list that you haven't done yet? Erica, I'm going to start with you.

Erica Shalhoup (32:25):

That's a great question, and I'm going to go big picture because the to-do list is long. I'll say that to start with. But I want to stay in this theme of being purposeful and intentional. And so one of the things I've had on my list for a long time, and frankly haven't made the time to do yet, is to send some notes of gratitude and thanks to some people who've had a really meaningful impact on me over the last year. What I've realized through a lot of life changes is that we don't often take enough time to just simply say thanks. And that's one of mine. It sits on the list and it continues to move around on the list. But that's a thing I will move higher after this conversation today. Thanks for that accountability, Oscarlyn.

Oscarlyn Elder (33:08):

That's very powerful. All right, Alex, it's your turn.

Alex Wagner (33:11):

It has been updating our living will, which I will tell you it's... I'm going to say it's 99.9% complete now because just talking to you on this podcast, since the last episode, has nudged me to move that forward. So I'm going to say it's had an effect on me to be part of this. And I'm going to say by the end of this weekend, it will be 100% complete. It's one of these things that I can already tell being part of this process is transformational, so thank you for that. And there are lots more items on it that I'll continue to work on. How about you, Oscarlyn?

Oscarlyn Elder (33:50):

So, good question. I have this meaning-to-do item that's been hanging over me for some time. I really need to update my revocable trust document. It was crafted when my daughter was born and she is now 16. I have a much better view of who she is and who she's going to be as an adult. I'm really excited about the person that she's growing into and becoming. I think a lot about that document. My mom passed away when she was 59, and I'm now in my fifties and I just think, "Wow, this is something that I need to update it. I need to make sure that..." Hopefully nothing happens to me in the next decade, if you will.

(34:43):

But I want to make sure that if it does, that the peacefulness and joy that I seek in my own life, that that would be transferred to my husband and my daughter through this trust document. And it doesn't quite do what I want it to do right now. So anyway, it's something that I need to work on, and I keep saying that and I have to take action. So anyway, it's something that I need to work on and I keep saying that and I have to take action. So I will keep you all updated on my path forward with that and as well as the listeners, because I know you're going to hold me accountable, but I definitely need to make progress on that. That's my big to-do item.

Alex Wagner (35:19):

Oscarlyn, can I share one other little nugget that I've learned through this?

Oscarlyn Elder (35:22):

Sure.

Alex Wagner (35:23):

It’s the nudges. It's about the nudges that move us to action, and this podcast is one of them. I would just offer that big life events around us, when those that we love pass, or we're going on a big trip where some things could happen, there are things that I would encourage us to just push us to just do one more thing on that checklist because those are the moments that should be meaningful enough to move us forward. So nudges.

Oscarlyn Elder (35:54):

Absolutely.

Alex Wagner (35:55):

Look for the nudges to help you move those items forward.

Oscarlyn Elder (35:58):

The milepost, right? So as we think about the journey, there are these mileposts, these pivotal moments where life happens, notably happens, and we need to use those to help spur us to action. I completely agree with you, Alex. Completely agree.

Erica Shalhoup (36:18):

And I would argue that that coupled with your purpose, there's no better path for success. Noting the moments when you need to take action and knowing why you're taking them. What a great combination.

Oscarlyn Elder (36:30):

Absolutely. All right, well, our time has come to a close, Alex and Erica, I want to thank you so much for joining me, not only for this episode, but also our previous episode. You are incredible ambassadors for purpose and its importance in our everyday life. Thank you so much. I'm not saying goodbye forever, fully expect that we'll have you back on the podcast in the future. But again, just want to express my gratitude for all that you've brought to the conversation.

Alex Wagner (37:03):

It's been a pleasure. Thank you for having us.

Erica Shalhoup (37:05):

Thanks so much for the opportunity, Oscarlyn. It's been such a great conversation. We appreciate it.

Oscarlyn Elder (37:10):

Thank you both. Earlier in the episode we mentioned several times a downloadable, printable exercise to help you work through understanding your purpose, identifying values that are important to you. I want you to know that you can find it on the webpage for this podcast, and that is at Truist.com/perspectives. Again, that's Truist.com/perspectives. We've also provided a link to this exercise in the description of this episode, so you can also locate it there. Thank you for joining me today. If you liked this episode, please be sure to subscribe and also tell your friends and family about it. If you have a question for me or our team at "I've Been Meaning To Do That," email us at dothat@truist.com. Dothat@truist.com. I'll be back very soon with another episode of "I've Been Meaning To Do That." This is a podcast that's designed to get you moving towards fulfilling your purpose and achieving your financial goals. Take care, everybody. I look forward to talking with you soon.