I have spent most of my professional career asking the question: What does life purpose mean and how does one find and fulfill it?

If you have been invested in the stock market the past several years, you have probably done pretty well for yourself in terms of your financial return. Still, you have probably overlooked the most important investment you could possibly make with the greatest potential return: relationships. Social capital, or your relationships, is one of four types of capital you have and, for the reasons discussed in this article, is the one with the overall greatest return in your life.

The 2021 NFL Draft came to a close early last month with some 259 young athletes officially beginning their professional football careers. They will enter the NFL believing that this is their life purpose. Well, unfortunately for them, it is not. The reality is that all athlete’s will be unable to physically play their sport for their entire lifetime, with most retiring or having their careers end before they are the age of 30 years old. To the extent that you understand your life to have meaning, purpose and value in this world, surely that does not all end before you turn 30, right? While playing sports may not be the answer itself, understanding why an athlete plays sports may very well be the key.

If you are a creative person, then you know that creativity is not something you choose—it chooses you. Creativity, ideas, are thrust upon us. We are compelled by what feels like a force outside of ourselves, at least outside of our conscious mind, to create. All of a sudden, like lightning reigning down from the gods, we are struck with an idea. We hear a song, or a lyric. We have a vision. A story comes to mind to express an emotion or truth. The solution to a previously unsolvable problem becomes apparent. What once seemed like random events or occurrences suddenly piece together like some divine puzzle. It is instantaneous and feels neither willed by us nor within our control. So, what is it?

Following the passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, another guitar legend—Steve Vai—penned a thoughtful tribute to Eddie’s “genius.” It is a rare opportunity to read one creative genius’s insights about the creativity of another. The result is a short essay about creative intuition that applies to anyone and everyone, not just guitar enthusiasts or musicians. This article discusses three key lessons about creative intuition we all need to know.

The Beach Boys have sold a controlling stake in their intellectual property—including their master recordings, a portion of their publishing, the Beach Boys brand, and their memorabilia—to a new company created by music mogul Irving Azoff called Iconic Artist Group. While a lot of artists, particularly heritage acts like the Beach Boys, are thinking about their estate planning—after all, they have families and complex financial concerns—and they are also thinking about their legacies, but the two are not the same.

The music industry has seen a flurry of music catalogs being sold recently, most notably Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks. Many articles have been written speculating as to why there has been such an increase in activity. While historically high valuations is certainly part of the equation, “estate planning” has also been seen as a motivating factor. According to at least one source, other artists like Dolly Parton may be looking into selling their catalogues for this very reason. But there is a problem: selling your music for “estate planning” purposes is a bad idea.

If you haven’t heard, it’s true—Bob Dylan sold the rights to his music publishing catalog. Why, you ask? The short answer, and the one that has fans and the internet grumbling, is money. The real question, however, is what purpose or goal will the proceeds from the sale of his catalog be used to achieve?

Purpose, your social and cultural impact, is what will undoubtedly fuel our economy in the near future. Purpose, of course, starts with you—the human, the creative mind behind the ideas upon which companies and brands are built. Without you, there is no purpose. The other driving factor behind any successful business is authenticity. So, you cannot launch a business premised on just any old purpose, it must be a purpose authentic to you, one that you genuinely believe in. In other words, it must be your purpose.

Your most valuable asset is not a traditional financial asset, such as a stock, bond, real estate, etc. Your most valuable asset is YOU—that is, who you are and the impact you have on society and culture.

There is a long list of famous people who died without having a will. In recent years, music icons Prince and Aretha Franklin shocked the world when it was reported that neither had a will or estate plan when they died. According to a recent study, 60% of all Americans currently do not have a Will. The question is: Why? Some will say that the reason is simply that artists like Prince and Aretha Franklin do not want to think about their death, that they feel a sense of immortality and that planning for their death is just not at the top of an artist’s list of priorities and is continually pushed off while their career and other matters are focused on. While there may be some truth to these assertions, the problem is actually a lot more complex. In fact, the real reason why artists like Prince and Aretha Franklin die without a will has less to do with the artist failing to act and more to do with how legal, tax, financial and other professional advisors address the issue.

The terms “legacy” and “legacy planning” are being increasingly used by wealth managers, estate planners and other financial advisors. Unfortunately, these terms are mostly used as synonyms for “estate” and “estate planning.” Learn the true meaning of your legacy and how you can proactively plan and build your legacy through a legacy plan.

This global pandemic is happening to all of us and it will be part of each of our legacies. Your traditional financial assets can do very little in this time and, in fact, many have lost money because the markets have all been negatively affected. Now is the time to use your human assets to define your legacy. Now is the time you can invest in and grow your human capital through this experience.