#74 Who are you?

Greetings from Madrid.

My name is Alex Joshi. I’m 33 years old and of Spanish and Indian heritage.

I am happiest in the sun, preferably on a beach. The hotter it is, the better. It's currently 29 degrees, and life is good. I suffer from SAD and struggle massively with winter, and am reborn in summer.

My favourite cocktail is a passionfruit mojito, which I first tried at a beach bar in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Nowadays, I drink very little alcohol due to its impact on rest and recovery.

My favourite hobby is travel. It’s when I feel most alive, and I think there is no greater return on your time and money than travelling the world. In the past year, I’ve taken more flights than I can remember for business and pleasure and gained so much from each.

I believe that love is the only thing that truly matters. Family is my most important value, and I feel it is my duty to always show up and be there for my loved ones. I have a strong drive to be the very best version of myself possible and maximise my innate and acquired talents for myself and them.

In my corporate life, I head up Behavioural Finance globally within a Private Bank's investments business. I’ve been able to say I have my dream job because I created it, one I’d set my sights on long ago. While undertaking my MPhil at the University of Cambridge, approximately ten years ago, I had a note pinned to a corkboard in my room; it said ‘Alexander Joshi, Global Head of Behavioural Finance’.

My role is to support ultra-high-net-worth investors in overcoming the behavioural challenges of the investment journey. I help them make good decisions about getting and staying invested to maximise their chance of reaching their long-term goals of protecting and growing their wealth for themselves and future generations. This role regularly takes me to stages worldwide, where I come alive. The last three have been on the African continent: South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt.

I’m passionate about behavioural science because it is immensely valuable in helping us gain greater awareness and understanding of our behaviours. This, in turn, supports better decision-making and outcomes across all aspects of our lives.

I enjoy writing, and for the last few years, I have done some of my best thinking and writing—for I believe that writing helps clarify thinking—while on planes. Much of this writing has been reflections and subsequent implementation plans to improve myself across the different domains of life.

So, I started Plane Thoughts to share simple and actionable ideas rooted in behavioural science. I want to help people have a more productive week in the short term and, more importantly, unlock their full potential in the long term.

After 73 editions, my biggest personal takeaway is that the key to a successful and happy life is simply to figure out what you really want, distil it down into a few key goals, guiding principles and habits, and focus your full attention on those, trying to ignore everything else.

Now, who are you?

That’s who I am and why I write this newsletter each Sunday.

Now I’d like to know more about you, my readers.

Who are you? What’s your story? Why do you read Plane Thoughts? What topics would you like me to explore in the future?

I happily write this free weekly newsletter (and now podcast) to share what’s on my mind and what I’m working on. As the open rate stays consistent while the readership grows, I believe my audience shares my interest in personal development and finds my insight interesting.

But the more I know about my audience, the more I can tailor my newsletter to your wants and needs. Hit reply to this email and share as much or as little as you’d like. Even one-word replies with a single topic idea would be valuable to me.

I’d also appreciate it if you forward this newsletter to one person who would benefit.

Thanks in advance,

AJ.

You can now listen to me narrate Plane Thoughts each week: link

Comments, questions, disagreements? Hit reply to reach out to me directly.

If you enjoy this content and know someone who would benefit from this newsletter, please forward it. Thank you!